Catch and Fall
by Noc and NC
Summary: When starting his second year at Domino high, Jonouchi Katsuya thought being in a different class than his friends was the worst of his worries. A bossy class rep and his father's debts are looking to be higher on the list, however. -Season zero universe-
1. A Meaningful Gesture

Chapter One  
_—__A Meaningful Gesture—_

"I hear you're doing a make-up test for math today"

Jonouchi Katsuya lifted his head up to stare briefly at the girl standing by his desk before shutting his eyes again.

"Yeah. What's up, class rep? Come to nag at me for not studying?"

"Not today" she sounded oddly calm after hearing his remark. "Actually, I came over because I couldn't help but notice you haven't eaten anything yet. Lunch period is almost over, you know"

"I don't have anything today"

"But Jonouchi-kun, you won't be able to do well on your test if you don't eat"

She wasn't worried about him- the girl was just stating a fact. He shrugged at it.

A soft rustling near his ear was heard, and curiosity made Katsuya open his eyes again.

Neatly wrapped in a red cloth, a box-like object sat on his desk, along with a pair of plain looking chopsticks.

"What's this?" he muttered, trying to hide his surprise with his sleeve.

"It's my lunch" she explained. "I'm not as hungry today and won't be able to finish it. How about you have the rest?" she placed her palms on the desk behind her while speaking, leaning against it gingerly.

The blonde teenager scowled up at her. "I might be tight with cash, but I can do without charity"

It was her turn to scowl. "This isn't charity! As the class representative, it's my duty to ensure that my fellow students are performing as best they can. A low class average is something I want to avoid, you know!"

He continued to frown up at the girl, who had now placed her hands on her hips. Kidono Akina was her name, the representative of class 2-B.

He had been misfortunate enough to be placed in a different class from Yuugi and the rest this year, and even more misfortunate because this girl was similar to Honda in that she was bossy, but _worse_ since she actually held a bit of authority over others. She loved ending her sentences with 'you know', because there wasn't a single person in the class whom she hadn't lectured on something, so she was right. Everyone knew. What they knew wasn't very clear, but she'd repeat things so much it didn't really matter.

"Listen, Jonouchi-kun!" she continued lecturing. "If you eat properly then you'll do better on your test! Consider it study help from me, alright?"

His stomach knotted up with impatience. "Fine, I'll eat your girly lunch" he grumbled while untying the red cloth. "Now buzz off, class rep"

"Hey! You could at least thank me, you know!"

"Yeah, _I know_…"

Akina rolled her eyes before taking her irritating presence to a different part of the classroom.

Katsuya opened the box and was confused by what he saw.

'Have the rest' was what she said to him, but it looked like the food hadn't even been touched. He peeked over to where she was talking with a few other girls, trying to find answers in her distant features. Needless to say, he didn't succeed.

Absently, Katsuya admitted that her lunch wasn't all that girly, and tasted pretty good. It didn't matter if she already ate any or not, he supposed. More for him.

* * *

"Yo, class rep!" he waved to her after shutting his shoe locker. She looked up from the task of tying her street shoes. The blonde felt a wall of hesitation surround him. Talking to girls wasn't his strong point- especially if they were bossy ones who liked to point out every mistake you made. Actually, talking in general wasn't his strong point. Fighting was much easier.

"Yes? What is it, Jonouchi-kun?"

Ah, but she would carry the conversation out if he couldn't. Lucky him.

Katsuya held up her lunch box, red cloth wrapped around it in a very untidy manner. "Here's your stuff back" he said in a mumble, looking away from her. Akina stood up after finishing with her laces.

"Oh, thank you. Did it help?" her fingers curled into the red cloth and lifted it from his palm.

"Er…yeah!" the teenager could feel himself struggling to keep a straight face. "I think I got more questions right then on the first test"

"Good to know" the girl told him, putting the wrapped box into her schoolbag. "See you tomorrow, Jonouchi-kun" she turned away and began walking towards the exit of the school.

"Class rep, wait!" Jonouchi blurted as she was opening the door, his hand outstretched. She paused, looking back at him with an annoyed expression. Hesitation befell him again, but the girl's knitted brow made him continue. "Uh…well…thanks!" he pulled his hand back, rubbing his neck with it as heat ran over his cheeks. "It tasted pretty good"

He expected her to scowl at him, saying 'of course it did!' or something like that. Instead, Kidono blushed furiously, looking away for a minute. Then she turned her pink face back to him, smiling.

"You're welcome!"

Her tone was sweet and kind, and for a minute Katsuya thought he was talking to someone else.

Akina disappeared from sight as she walked out the door.

"Huh…" the teenager leaned against the wall of lockers with his hands behind his head, the heat on his cheeks refusing to lessen. "Didn't think she could make a face like that…"

"Jonouchi-kun!"

The blonde looked to where the voice of Mutou Yuugi had come from, flashing a grin at the sight of the smaller boy running towards him. Anzu, Miho and Hiroto followed behind at a walking pace.

"Yo, guys!" Katsuya stepped away from the lockers walk towards them.

"How were your classes today?" Yuugi asked excitedly when they reached each other. "In English, we got our tests back!"

"Oh? How'd you do?"

Yuugi's face fell at the question. "Um…well, not too good…"

"You passed, Yuugi!" Anzu told him cheerfully. "That's plenty good"

The owner of the millennium puzzle smiled. "Yeah!"

"Well, nothing new happened for me" the blonde told them while stretching. "Let's head home, I'm beat!"

"You're face is really red, Jonouchi-kun!" Miho pointed out in wonder. "Are you sick?"

"Uh? Wha?" Katsuya rubbed a hand over his face vigorously. "No! No, I'm fine! It's nothing!"

"Hmmm…" Honda narrowed his eyes at him, grinning knowingly. "If it isn't a fever then…aren't you blushing?"

"I'm not!" he denied furiously. "Who'd blush over the class rep?! You're such an idiot!"

"Class rep?" Anzu joined in curiously. "You mean the class representative of 2-B, Kidono-san? I though you said she was bossy and annoying"

"She _IS!_" the blonde shouted at her, making the brown haired girl cover her ears.

"She's a cute girl, Jonouchi! I wouldn't blame you if you liked her despite the personality!" the head of the 'beatification committee' pointed out slyly, before turning to the blue haired girl beside him. "But unlike her, Miho-chan has both good looks and a splendid personality!"

Miho giggled at the complement.

"I'm confused!" Yuugi said on the sidelines. "Jonouchi-kun likes someone? Kidono-san? I don't think I've met her…"

"And you don't wanna!" Jonouchi told him, ignoring the rest of his friends' comments stubbornly.

Eventually they parted ways and he made it to his apartment, cringing when the smell of smoke hit his nose. His dad must have forgotten to open the window while having a few cigarettes. The old man was passed out on the couch now, still-burning cinders in the ashtray. After removing his shoes the teenager walked over to the small apartment's window, careful to avoid the bits of broken glass on the floor. He unhooked the latch and opened it, sticking his head out to breath in fresh air.

"Man, maybe I should just stay outside for a bit while the smoke fades…" he sighed, laying his head down on the windowsill. "It's lucky that the fire alarm didn't go off…"

On second thought, it would be better for him to stay inside. His dad would be waking up soon enough and be wondering where his brat son was to shout at.

* * *

Waking up in the morning was never hard for him.

There was always the sound of heavy footsteps and clinking glass as his father returned home from another night of money-spending and drinking to take him away from sleep. The man would collapse on the couch, either falling asleep or finishing whatever he drink had in hand. That would be the boy's cue to get up and get ready for school.

Today was no different, and as Katsuya was fitting into his uniform jacket his dad began to snore, the bottle of beer falling from his weakened grasp and to the floor. Its contents spilled onto the carpet, soaking through the already stained material. The blonde hopped over the wet spot before skillfully kicking the emptied beer bottle up into the air, catching it with a quick hand. He treaded over to where the rarely used garbage can was and placed the bottle into a bag tucked behind it.

Returning them got him ten yen a piece, so with how much his dad drank, it was a good way to get food money. The old man never asked about the disappearing bottles, though he probably assumed it was his son trying to be useful by cleaning. While Katsuya would agree that he was cleaning, it was to his own benefit.

Stretching languidly, the blonde picked his book bag up off the floor and left the apartment, locking it behind him. The drunken man asleep on his couch wouldn't do any good against robbers.

* * *

Class was really boring.

It was boring last year, but it was worse now because Yuugi and the others weren't there to talk to. The English teacher droned out words he didn't understand, sleepiness urging him to shut his eyes. His lids drooped against his will, and just as his head started nodding something caught his attention, snapping the drowsy blonde out of his half-asleep state.

He had a familiar feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. It was the same one he got when he was being trailed, people- usually thugs- sneaking after his footsteps.

Someone was watching him.

To get such a notion while in the classroom felt out of place, but he couldn't deny what his gut was telling him. Suspiciously he looked to the left of the class, slowly dragging his gaze across the room, observing everything in his field of vision. As he turned his head to the right side of the room, his brown eyes met with blue ones. They were shy and half-closed but definitely directed towards him. Katsuya leaned back a little, taking in just whose eyes he had met.

Kidono Akina had royal blue eyes that suited her position of authority as class representative. The girl looked different from usual, though. Her eyes were dazed and out of focus, when normally they were sharp and watchful, beaming or glaring at whomever she chose. The girl's mouth would be straight, twisting into a frown more often then not, and she never hid her displeasure from others. Today she rested her chin in her palm, the girl's fingers covering her lips.

Why's she looking at me instead of the teacher? Katsuya asked himself in irritation, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. Is she mad that I was about to fall asleep? And why's she got her mouth covered like that? She should just scowl at me openly like she always does. He made eye-contact with her again, the girl's hazy eyes unsettling him even more. God, she isn't even glaring! Quit being so out of character, class rep!

Maybe Akina had somehow heard what he was thinking, because she blinked away the clouds in her eyes and then quickly looked to the front of the class, her free hand moving up to join the other under her chin.

Jonouchi relaxed immediately, looking away from the class representative as he put his head on his desk. Eyes shutting, the student gave into his previous desire of falling asleep.

--

"Jonouchi-kun! Hey, Jonouchi-kun! Class is over, you know!"

"Uhn…what?" Katsuya lifted his head wearily. Why the hell was the class rep waking him up? No, why was she even in his apartment?

"I said class is over!" the girl repeated herself loudly.

Reality settled in around the blonde as he realized that it wasn't his apartment he was in, but the classroom. Kidono seemed to have regained her normal personality as she slapped her notebook down beside his head, waking him further.

"Hurry up and go home!" she demanded, her hair shining in the afternoon light. "I have things to do and I can't leave the classroom if you're in here!"

"I got it already!" Jonouchi snapped back, glaring. "Give me a second, would you?"

The girl took a step back from his desk and planted her hands on her hips, foot tapping to show impatience. The blonde boy grumbled as he gathered his things, shoving them inside his book bag indelicately before pushing his seat out of his way, walking towards the classroom door.

"Hey!" Akina called from behind him. "At least push in your seat! It's rude to leave it like that!"

Katsuya didn't stop walking. "Do it yourself!"

He heard the girl let out a noise of frustration as he shut the classroom door, walking leisurely down the steps to the first floor of the building. He reached the shoe lockers soon enough, and was surprised to find that the area was completely empty.

The student scratched at his blonde head in confusion. Just how late was it? Come to think of it, the lighting in the classroom was pretty dark. He looked at the clock on the wall.

"S-six thirty?" he sputtered out. "Seriously, that late?! That stupid class rep should have woken me up sooner! Damn it…"

If he went home now, his dad would yell about him not getting back fast enough…

"Better to just hang around town until he's left the apartment" the boy decided, grabbing his street shoes and throwing the indoor footwear into his locker. Sighing, he sat down and tied up the runners. What all could he do tonight? Play at the arcade, get a bite to eat, maybe stroll around the park for a bit…

Shoving one hand into his uniform pocket while holding onto his book bag with the other, Katsuya left.

* * *

After finally watching season zero of Yu-Gi-Oh, I found that I loved it immensely. Ignoring the bad animation quality and the rushed storyline near the end, this version of the series was far more enjoyable then the other over all, despite my rampant love of the show's memory arc. The character's back-stories are better explained, people's lives don't revolve around children's card games, Yuugi is disturbed about his memory loss, Yami acts as evil as his name implies, Anzu openly questions her friend's multiple personality situation, they go to class and do work, Hiroto actually has a personality, and Katsuya fights people, hardcore!

On that note, Jonouchi Katsuya was my favorite character in this season. His story was so better explored, but it bothered me that Yuugi and the others never seem to seriously worry about his home life, so in this story I wanted to look into all of that more closely while mixing in the romance that I so adore, and really feel that he deserves. I mean, he pays for the bills while still only in high school! His dad's throwing whiskey bottles at him! How hard could that man kick?! He's got really heavy looking boots on! Poor Katsuya needs some TLC for all the hard work he does.

Onto the subject of the class placement and the start of the new year- I had them start their second year at domino high because in one scene of season zero, we are shown the characters at the beginning of class, and we hear a voice saying the usual 'stand! Bow! Be seated!' morning routine. This is usually done by the class representative. The voice was a male voice, however, so without making it different class, and thus a different year, I wouldn't be able to explain this plot hole involving Akina.

I put Katsuya into a different class from the other canon characters for several reasons. The biggest one was the large sum of characters to handle. I was worried that if everyone from the show was involved in the story too deeply, it would end up like the actual show, and I wouldn't be able to focus on Katsuya's life as strongly as I want to, since I would worry about balancing the other character's roles well enough. Furthermore, with Akina's bossy-with-good-intentions attitude, I felt that I might have ended up making her look overpowering when working with the full canon cast. That'd be a very bad thing, especially since OCs are risky things that need to be placed carefully into a story.

To those who read my DMW sorry, I'm not quitting, I just want a break from all the crazy Bakura-ness and Bastet's angst. High school scenarios don't make me _nearly_ as depressed.

I do believe that's all I have to say. Sorry for the long author note, I'm sure it won't happen again.


	2. Girl in the Lamplight

Chapter Two  
—_Girl in the Lamplight_—

The girl swept her fallow brown hair out of her eyes as the photocopier finished printing. Briefly, she glanced at her watch- almost seven.

After class had ended, it had taken a while to organize the filing cabinet as the teacher had requested her to, and then even longer to sort out the information she would need to present for the committee meeting on Monday. She had cleaned up the classroom, too, since pieces of paper and garbage and distracting spots of dirt on the floor kept catching her eye. Obviously the students chosen to clean up hadn't done that good of it job today. She'd have to reprimand them for it later.

After all of that was sorted out, she was given the task of waking up Jonouchi Katsuya. He had fallen asleep during English, and stayed that way for the rest of the school day. The blonde had looked very tired, and didn't eat anything for lunch today, either. Surely it wasn't healthy. In a cloud of concern for his well-being she refrained from yelling at him. His grades were low, but he wasn't _that_ neglectful of his education. If he was falling asleep in class then he must really need the rest.

He looked at ease now, his head on the wooden desk as he snored softly. The boy's shaggy blonde hair fell over his closed eyes, and a bit of drool was on his sleeve. The fallow haired girl stood in front of him, leaning against the desk behind her as she took in the image. The female student stayed like that for several minutes, wondering what he was dreaming about as a grin crawled across his face.

…It was a very cute sight.

But it was getting late, and she needed to go photocopy information for Monday's meeting. Besides, he would miss supper if he slept any longer. Akina sucked up her breath, placing her hands at the front of his desk and frowning down at the sleeping blonde. If she was going to wake him up, she'd best do it assertively.

"Jonouchi-kun! Hey, Jonouchi-kun! Class is over, you know!"

* * *

The sun was well past the horizon as Akina walked down the street, her bag and photocopied papers in hand. The school girl's feet hit the pavement at a steady but relaxed pace. There was no need to rush. Unlike many other students, she was well aware that there wouldn't be any supper waiting for her when she arrived at home.

On that thought, had Jonouchi-kun made it home in time to eat? If he didn't eat at school he should at least be enjoying warm meals at home.

"I should have woken him up earlier…" the blue eyed girl mumbled, staring at her shoes as she walked. "Maybe I'll make him another lunch on Monday. We have a test coming up, so that'll give him motivation!"

Akina smiled brightly, putting a skip in her step just before her body was lifted off the sidewalk, feet dragging.

The lamplights were dim and it was an awkward time of night, either too late to have fun after school or too early to go out for an evening, so no out could have noticed when the fallow haired girl was pulled into an alleyway all too roughly.

Her first instinct was to scream, but the person who grabbed her shoved their fingers into her mouth, silencing the girl. The digits were dirty and tasted of rust and sickness, and Akina choked audibly on them as she tried to bite down. Their nails dug into her tongue, and it stung. Eyes watering, Akina's feet kicked out and her hands dropped her possessions, clawing at the attacker relentlessly.

The person's coat was hard leather, and they only laughed at her attempts. It was a man's voice, thick and wheezing. He crushed her up against the cold stone wall, the hand that wasn't in her mouth grabbing at her uniform, tearing away the green ribbon at her front, the sound of her jacket and shirt buttons snapping sharp in her ears.

She tried to scream again, gagging on the filthy fingers. Bile caught inside her throat and she struggled to reach high enough to get at the bare skin of his face. Her punishment followed, the man's gritty yellow teeth taking hold of her small hand and biting down hard. Her cry of pain was muffled by vomit and a hand, the attacker growling with her flesh still in his mouth.

White hot pain surged through the girl as his steel-toed boot slammed into her leg. Akina's eyes rolled into her head for a moment as she tried to comprehend the pain flowing through her body. His free hand had moved down to her legs, pushing up her skirt. Teeth released her hand and the girl felt the bite mark throb distantly.

"I'm going to make you scream in all _sorts_ of ways, so just try to enjoy the ride, huh?" the man whispered into her ear before giving it a rough nip, breaking the skin.

Her mouth was released and she let out a loud yep along with a bit of her lunch, her throat hurting and mind spinning. Hopelessly she continued to try and push the assaulter away.

Why is this happening to me? The girl asked to the sound of tearing lace and cotton. I just wanted to get the sheets photocopied. I just wanted the classroom to be a bit neater.

Her underwear fluttered to the ground.

I just wanted Katsuya to go home and eat supper, she told herself mournfully as the man was jerked backwards by an unknown force. Her body was released and Akina slid numbly to the dirt ground while remaining in her revere.

Jonouchi Katsuya threw the man away from the girl before slamming his fist into his face. The attacker stumbled backwards, tripping on a beer bottle and falling to the earth, the glass crunching underneath him.

"_Bastard!_" the blonde shouted in anger, kicking the grounded man hard in the ribs. He howled something incoherent, and the boy stopped only to catch his breath before kicking him again. Something in the man cracked, but Katsuya found it did little to calm his nerves. "_Guys like you…!_"

He reached down and grabbed at the man's jacket, pulling him to his feet only to knock him back down with another punch. Blood and a few teeth decorated the alleyway.

The brown eyed boy gave his opponent another merciless kick to the ribs before letting him crawl away, turning his attention to the girl against the alley wall, motionless and quiet. Her shirt was torn open, giving a clear view of her lacy pink bra. The matching underwear lay beneath her, the girl's skirt hiked up too high. Katsuya swallowed hard, another wave of rage splashing over him as he realized who she was.

Kidono Akina was trembling and her hand had a swelling bite mark on it, a bit of blood running down her neck as she breathed quietly. Her short fallow hair fell over wide, royal blue eyes that were staring at him in wonder. It was completely unfitting for her to wear an expression like that, and it made him want to go after the one who had made his class representative look so unlike herself and punch him twice as hard.

"Jonouchi…kun?" she said in a dazed, questioning tone, as though she wasn't sure it was him.

That got him out of his thoughts of vengeance, and he knelt down in front of her, pulling off his jacket to give to the ragged girl. "Yeah, it's Jonouchi!" he shoved his uniform coat at her. "He didn't hurt you too bad, right?!"

Rather then answering him, Akina furrowed her brow. "What are you doing here?" at least she put on the jacket.

He paused in shifting her away from the wall. "What am I doing here? Saving you! I saw some creep pull a girl an alley- I didn't know it was you, but I'm glad you're okay!"

She continued to look at him in a confused way, almost frowning. "Jonouchi-kun…you saved me? But…you're supposed to be at home…" she looked at the dirt.

The girl's classmate joined her in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

Akina quickly looked up at him again, breathing becoming heavy and uneven, full of sniffles. It was like a veil lifted from her eyes, only to be replaced by a flood of tears.

"_Jonouchi-kun!_" she cried, latching onto the blonde teenager as she started sobbing. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably and her fingers dug into him, arms wrapping tight around his neck. "I was scared!" she choked, her mouth still tasting disgusting. "I was _r_-_really_ s-scared! I c-couldn't- _I_…!" Akina stopped trying to talk, letting out her feelings in the form of wracking sobs, soaking the boy's shirt.

Katsuya leaned backwards in an attempt to distance himself from the crying girl, but only brought her with him. "O-oi!" he stammered, putting his hands on her shoulders awkwardly. "T-this isn't like you, class rep! C-cut it out!"

She didn't stop as he would have liked, but her cries grew quieter, muffled by his shoulder. Where had the strong willed, bossy, smite-all-in-her-path class representative of 2-B gone?

"Can you walk?" he asked, trying hard not to stumble in speaking. "You got a pretty bad bruise on your leg, right…? I'll carry you, okay?"

Her reply was another round of sobbing, so Jonouchi put her answer aside and wrapped his arm around her back before leaning forward, tilting the girl downwards slightly. With the new position he managed to slip his other arm under her knees. The blonde got to his feet quickly, the Akina still clinging to him and crying. He stood like this for a couple minutes, sweat building up on his skin.

"Oi," he shook her a little, which didn't seem to affect the fallow haired girl. "Where do you live? Oi! Class rep!" he paused. "…Kidono!"

She whimpered something incomprehensible, and he sighed heavily.

"It's Sunday tomorrow!" he told the class representative with thinning patience. "You won't answer any of my questions, so let's just head back to my place, alright? Dad isn't gonna be coming home tomorrow morning since it's the only day he actually works, so we get the couch all to ourselves. Isn't that nice? You're a lucky lady!"

His threats- although they were mostly true- didn't seem to bother her in the least. It took a minute of Katsuya not speaking and then listening to the girl's calm, tearless breaths to realize she had fallen asleep.

"What the _hell_ are you _doing!_" he shouted at her, freezing as Akina sniffed a little.

Good question, Katsuya! He growled at himself. What the hell _are_ you doing, yelling at her? She may be the class rep, but she's still a girl. She can't fight like you can. Of course she'd cry! She cried as hard as she could, so if she's tired and wants to sleep then let her!

_Jackass_, he added in like an afterthought. What would Shizuka say to you?

In a shroud of guilt Katsuya began walking in the direction of his apartment, Akina's school bag and dropped sheets of paper forgotten in the alleyway. He was positive that his dad would have left the house by now, so it was true that they'd get the couch. He didn't have a futon; there wasn't much room for one anyways. Either he slept on the floor, or on the couch until the old man decided to kick him off it.

After a walk that felt like hours, he reached the apartment door labeled 301 and unlocked it, stepping inside while leaving the lights off. Kicking out of his shoes, he stepped over the usual messes on the floor before reaching the couch, sitting down with Akina in his lap, her arms unmovable from his neck.

"For a girl who has such a big lunch," he told her while pulling off her shoes and throwing them in the general direction of his own. "You're pretty light, you know!" the blonde grinned humorously at the use of her fraise, but the humor soon faded from his expression as she failed to respond.

Having her around and not hearing her yell was strange, and the fact that she was closer then she'd ever been to him before only made things seem worse. Sighing, Katsuya grabbed the blanket on the arm of the couch and let himself fall onto his back. Akina of course went with him, her upper half resting atop him while her lower half was against the inside of the couch. The boy's legs were on the outside, one hanging off the side as he got comfortable.

The sleeping girl shifted herself as well, the vice-like hold on him finally easing into a gentle griping of his shoulders. Sleeping like this, it made them look like more then classmates.

"Goodnight, Akina!" he told her, laughing at his own little joke of being a couple. His brown eyes closed after pulling the blanket over them.

"…Katsuya…"

They opened moments later, looking down at the girl in bewilderment while feeling a little bit startled. She was still sleeping, fingers curled into his shirt, a faint smile on her lips. Another strange look. He'd never seen her like that, either.

Getting settled again, Akina snuggled closer, and Katsuya found he didn't mind as much as he thought he would. The class rep was cute when she wasn't yelling or crying. No- even then she was cute, but just like how she had seemed different yesterday at the shoe lockers, when she was sleeping it was like she was someone else.

Someone who smiled at him and called him Katsuya.

* * *

She wasn't dreaming, was she?

Getting pulled into an alleyway, being assaulted, her cloths ripping, teeth sinking into her skin, pain eating through her leg, vomit, and then Katsuya. Bawling her eyes out, clinging to her savior, drifting off to sleep…

All of that was real, the girl was sure. But was this real?

Lying against Jonouchi-kun as she opened her eyes, the sleeping boy's face close to hers? Their chests pressing against each other as they breathed? The warmth of a blanket around her and the weight of his arm on her back? Was it real? Was she awake yet?

Akina decided she didn't want an answer and shut her eyes, submerging herself in the dream-like sensations again. They were soon interrupted by the sound of yawning, and suddenly her human pillow had sat up, causing her to almost fall onto the ground in the process.

She regained her balance quickly enough and sat up with him, both wanting to look at him but not wanting to make eye-contact. The girl managed a peek, only to find that he was staring at her with a mix of confusion, fear and irritation on his face.

Jonouchi shook his head, running a hand through his blonde hair as he recalled why the class rep was sleeping on top of him.

"Sorry" he told her in a mumble, embarrassment creeping up onto his cheeks. The boy had hoped she would stay asleep long enough for him to crawl out from under her, but he'd ruined that idea now. "Forgot you were here for a sec"

The comment made her frown, and he couldn't begin to imagine why, but it was easy enough to guess he'd just insulted her in some way.

"Uh…" he got up, picking up bits of glass and garbage to avoid looking at her. "You can go back to sleep it you want"

"No," the girl told him, sounding meek and out of character. "That's okay. I'd feel bad about sleeping while you're awake"

"Oh"

Silence fell over them as Katsuya continued to clean mindlessly.

"Do-" the blonde jumped a little, looking at her nervously. Akira waited for a minute before trying again. "Do you want me to help?"

"No!" his answer was immediate. "Your leg hurts, doesn't it? You shouldn't move any more then you have to-" he did a double-take of her figure, recalling the blood running down from her ear. "Oh yeah, hang on a sec, I'll get you a cloth or something. You've got blood on your face"

Blood? Akina echoed in disgust.

Her hands reached upwards, running over the skin of her face until her fingertips found the grittiness he was talking about. It was dried over her neck and cheek, all the way up to her ear, which burned in pain as she touched it.

That's right, she recalled slowly. That man had bitten me.

Her royal blue eyes traveled down to her hands, now resting in her lap. Teeth indents decorated her left hand's skin, aching upon being seen. As though she had gained a new awareness of things around her, Akina felt the bareness between her legs and the torn uniform brushing against her stomach inside Jonouchi's jacket.

"Here!" the classmate returned from his trip to get her a cloth, handing her the slightly dampened material.

Akina reached for it, her vision blurry.

"Thank you" she sniffed, rubbing at bloodied skin gently.

"No problem"

He busied himself with cleaning again as the girl wiped down her skin. The clock ticked faintly at the other end of the apartment, reading ten fifteen.

"J…Jonouchi-kun?"

The shakiness of her voice made Katsuya snap his head up to look at her. A few tears slipped down her cleaned cheeks, Akina giving him a watery smile.

"Thank you" she repeated, her lungs feeling tight. "For saving me"

* * *

Chapter two, complete!

This chapter we get to see into Akina's mind as well as Katsuya's, so we learn her actions are more out of concern rather then an act of bitchiness. I really do enjoy Katsuya's pov better, though. Not sure why! I usually have trouble getting into a male mindset, being a girl and all. Maybe because Akina thinks one way and acts another- well, she thinks similar to how she acts, but usually doesn't let the softer feelings in her mind reach others. I guess making her restrain herself restrains me, too. Katsuya tends to do as he thinks, so I have an easier time with him.

The molestation/saving the girl scene is somewhat cliché, but it really was the best sort of event to trigger more interaction between the two, considering their personalities. Otherwise, Akina would retain her class representative shell and never leave the safe zone of forcing food on him for 'study help', and he would rarely see anything other then the class representative.

As a final note, if you Favorite this story, it'd be appreciated if you proved to me you like it by reviewing! A Favorite without a review is like melted ice-cream. It's still there but harder to enjoy. You guys know who you are.

I'd love to hear from new readers as well!


	3. A Hero's Reward

Chapter Three  
—_A Hero's Reward_—

"You don't want to phone home, ask for a ride?" Katsuya asked her, the girl's eyes still a bit red from the tears she'd shed while thanking him several times over. "You're parents are probably worried about you"

Akina shook her head while opening the apartment door. "Um, no, that's okay. They wouldn't worry"

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "You sure?" her words reflected something he'd say when he had no intention of going home.

"Of course I'm sure!" she turned around, frowning up at him. "I'm a responsible girl! They'd trust me, you know!"

Akina's school persona filled the room with its presence, and the blonde grinned down at her, the wires of tension finally loosening around him as she returned to her normal, scowling self. She didn't stop scowling, though, so he dropped the smile with a shrug.

"Whatever you say, class rep" he nudged the door open for her. "Want me to walk you home?"

"No, I'm fine!" she told him, keeping her weight off her injured leg. "My house isn't far"

Katsuya leaned against the door frame. "Just make sure to not get attacked on the way there"

The fallow haired girl froze upon hearing his comment, turning around slightly to look at the blonde with a bit of fear in her eyes.

"A-actually…" she stammered. "Can you come with me?"

Jonouchi was already locking the door.

"No problem!" he said to her, tucking his hands behind his head as they began walking at a slow pace towards the stairwell. "In return you can stop yelling at me when I misbehave in class"

"I can't do that, Jonouchi-kun…" she mumbled, holding onto the railing while they made their way down to the first floor. "It would be unfair to the other students"

"Yeah, I didn't think it was gonna happen…"

The conversation faded away, leaving the pair to listen to the chirping of birds and cars passing by as they walked down the road. Akina's hands gripped his uniform jacket carefully, examining the worn material with intense eyes, the girl refusing to move her gaze anywhere else. Her feet moved along carefully. She knew where to go, but the feeling of uncertainty crept through her toes, up to the pit of her stomach. She couldn't stop her mind from replaying yesterday evening's events in her mind, imagining the street they walked through now to be the same one as at that time. Akina and Katsuya passed by an alley and she squeezed her royal blue eyes shut tight before opening them again. A hand waved itself in front of her face.

"Hello?" the brown eyed boy tried. "Class rep, you in there?"

"W-what is it?" she said while scowling at him disapprovingly. "Don't stick your hand in people's faces, it's very rude!"

"Oh, shut up! Ignoring people when they ask you a question is rude!"

The girl opened her mouth to counter, but shut it when she realized there was nothing to say.

"Where's your place?" he must have been repeated himself, because Katsuya said the words while sounding very irritated, his eyes rolling.

"Turn left at the end of the block and then two houses down" Kidono answered without having to think.

"You live pretty close to my apartment building" he observed. "It's surprising we don't run into each other"

"Well, I often stay after school to do things, and I don't usually go near that section of the city…"

They rounded the corner and the blonde whistled faintly.

"Guess I could see why you wouldn't want to hang out at the dirtier places in Domino. This street's all for rich people, huh?"

"That isn't why!" she snipped in defense. "I just don't have a reason to go that way!"

"So the class rep's a rich girl?" Katsuya continued to speak as though Akira hadn't said anything.

"I- I'm not rich! She just has a good job and-" the fallow haired girl cut herself off, stopping in front of a house that looked very similar to the others, though there was a small flower garden tucked around the edges. "This is my house"

"Looks expensive"

"Don't say it as though I was the one who bought it!" the class representative snapped angrily. She took a breath of air, and then he felt it again- the presence of someone who wasn't the usual her standing in front of him. "I'll return your jacket tomorrow, before class starts, okay? See you then!"

The blonde felt his face become warmer at the promising tone in Akina's voice, turning away from her sharply to hide his reddening expression. "Later, class rep" he breathed, putting his hands into his pockets as he started to walk back the way he had come.

* * *

"Yo, Yuugi!" Katsuya waved at the shorter Domino high student when they crossed paths on the street.

"Jonouchi-kun!" the boy exclaimed excitedly, running up to him. "What are you doing here? Shopping for your sister again?"

The blonde laughed awkwardly. "We're supposed to keep that on the down-low, remember? And no, I'm not. Just thought I'd take a stroll around town"

It wasn't a complete lie, so Jonouchi was spared from guilt. He hadn't planned on going straight home, and he wasn't out to buy gifts for Shizuka, either.

"Really? Then, do you want to come over? Grandpa just got a bunch of cool new games!"

"You know I can't pass that up!" the taller teenager pulled his hands out of his pockets and tucked them behind his head, grinning. "Let's get going!"

"Yeah!" the oddly haired boy cheered, walking alongside him. "Ah- by the way, Jonouchi-kun!"

"What's up?"

"What's Kidono-san like?"

It was a fairly simple question, but it made Katsuya's brain freeze up anyways.

"W-what? I already told you! She's a bossy, annoying class representative who takes her job way too seriously!" he folded his arms over his chest. "A real shrew!"

"I know!" Yuugi laughed. "But what's she _really_ like?"

"That's all there is!" he grumbled defiantly. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because," the boy explained simply. "You wouldn't like her if she was only like that!"

"So I don't like her!" Katsuya growled.

They were at the game shop now, and Yuugi pushed the door open, the bell jingling to welcome them.

"Even when you say that, you're face is all red"

"S-shut up!"

"Can I- oh, Yuugi! Welcome home!" the boy's grandfather greeted them. "Good to have you bring friends over!" he smile deflated when he realized they weren't paying attention to him.

"You can tell me!" the small one insisted, his guardian's welcome ignored. "I promise I won't blab to anyone!"

"There's nothing to tell!" Jonouchi huffed, turning away from him. "She's moody, annoying, and doesn't seem to like anything but the school's rule book! Her tongue's sharp and her glares are nasty! She's got a face too cute for her personality and a hot body, but she probably wouldn't let anyone touch her even if they dated for _years!_" he inhaled deeply before whirling on his friend. "But then…!"

"But then?" Yuugi repeated eagerly.

After catching his breath, Katsuya recalled the moment at the shoe lockers, and then Akina sobbing on him uncontrollably, her promise to return his jacket…

"…_Katsuya…"  
_

He shook his blonde head rapidly.

"She _is_ all of those things!" he told Yuugi, his earlier thoughts becoming deluded. "But then, sometimes, it's like she's a different person. Kind of…softer and kinder…smiling…" the blonde's words faded away into mumbles, his face reddening again. "…Makes good food…"

"So she's actually a nice girl!" Yuugi said with a smile, as though he'd known it all along.

"_No!_ She's a bothersome girl with a personality disorder!"

* * *

When he entered the classroom, Katsuya quickly spotted a uniform jacket atop his desk- his jacket, presumably.

So she hadn't planned on returning it to me personally, huh? He thought to himself, shrugging on the coat as the classroom door slid open.

"But those stockings look really cute on you!"

"Ah- really? Thanks. I just thought I'd dress a bit differently today"

The blonde turned his head at the unmistakable voice of the class representative.

Akina was wearing full-length stockings today instead of the usual knee-length socks, but they were black, the same color she always wore. No doubt the sudden change was to hide the bruise on her leg. It made sense- Kidono didn't seem like the type of person who liked showing weakness.

They do look pretty good on her, he admitted, watching as she sat down.

"What happened to your hand, Kidono-san?" one of the girl asked in worry. "It's all bandaged"

"Oh, this? I was bitten by a dog"

"A wild one? That's so scary…"

"Mmn, I'll be alright though"

A _dog_, huh? The boy repeated with sourness. Yeah, he was wild alright. I hope he's still crawling around on the dirt somewhere…

More students entered the room, sitting in their assigned seats as they chatted to one another. The teacher came in and walked up to his desk, the bell signaling the start of the school day ringing when he sat down.

Is she still in pain? Katsuya found himself wondering, staring at the fallow haired girl as class started.

"Stand!" said Akina's voice, clear and strong. The students did as told, Jonouchi getting to his feet.

Were her parents upset?

"Bow!" the class members mimicked the girl's movements as she bent herself forward.

Is she worried about having to walk home?

"Be seated!" chairs scraped on the floor as the high school attendants took their seats.

We live pretty close to each other…

"Now," said the teacher, straightening his glasses. "I'd like to talk about the English test coming up…we'll be focusing on mostly the usage of sentence structure rather then actual meaning…"

The teacher's voice drifted out of Jonouchi's ears as he continued to stare at the girl several seats ahead of him, who was looking at the front of the class. Her face was hidden from sight, hands laced together under her chin.

* * *

Near the beginning of lunch, a soft thud made it into his ears, so Katsuya lifted his head off the desk to see what the noise was from.

A familiar box shape wrapped in red cloth was in front of him, a bandaged hand setting down a pair of disposable chopsticks before pulling away. Akina took several steps back from his desk, her face pink. The brown eyed boy stared at her in both confusion and surprise.

"Work hard on studying for English, okay?"

It was all that the fallow haired girl said to him before turning on heel and leaving the classroom in a rush, aiming to catch the attention of the exiting teacher.

The blonde stared at where Akina's figure had disappeared before looking back to his desk and unraveling the cloth around her lunch box, opening it. He snapped apart the received chopsticks as his stomach growled in anticipation.

"Oho, a lunch made with love, is it?"

Katsuya had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming, whipping around to glare at Honda. The brown haired student leered at the lunch in his friend's hands as though it were Miho in a swimsuit.

"What's made with _love?_" Jonouchi growled at him. "She's just bribing me to study!"

"You _fool!_" the brunette shouted, making several students look at him in annoyance. "When a girl gives a boy their homemade lunch, it's clearly an expression of love!"

The blonde faltered in thinking for a moment, a blush covering his cheeks before he shook it away stubbornly. "W-who's a fool?! She's just using that stereotypical stuff to get me to follow what she says!"

"Alright then…" Honda straightened himself calmly. "Let me ask you just one thing…is it good?"

Katsuya scowled. "What?"

"Her cooking! Does it taste good?"

The scowling boy poked a pickled radish with his chopsticks. "…It's…pretty good…" he admitted reluctantly.

"…That's the taste of her love"

"Oh, shut up about it, already!" Jonouchi tossed the object of his annoyance a glare. "Why are you even in here? This isn't your class!"

Hiroto scoffed, crossing his arms. "Its lunch break- I can visit other classes as I please!"

Katsuya rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right…Miho must be so lonely!"

The blonde smirked to himself, picking up a piece of fried chicken and dropping it into his mouth as Honda ran out of the classroom.

* * *

The sky was just starting to turn orange as Akina finished tying up her street shoes. The meeting had been shorter then usual because she had lost her information. Her schoolbag had also been forgotten in that alley- she'd have to look for it on her way home today…

The girl swallowed, steeling herself while walking away from her shoe locker.

"Yo, class rep!"

The fallow haired girl spun around, her royal blue eyes widening upon seeing Jonouchi Katsuya leaning against one of the locker rows, a cloth covered lunch box in hand.

"J…Jonouchi-kun!" she couldn't hide her surprise, though the girl did her best to make a frown. "What are you still here for?"

"Waiting for you, obviously!" he said while throwing the lunch box at her. She moved to catch it, just barely managing. "How else was I supposed to return your stuff?"

"Thank you" she mumbled, looking to the floor.

"No problem. So, are we leaving now?" he pushed himself away from the lockers.

It took a good deal of effort to twist her expression into something that said she was confused instead of flustered. "We?"

The blonde turned to look at her from where he was pushing open the door. "Our places are close to each other, I'm heading home and your done doing stuff here, so why not?" the sunlight illuminated his already striking features, and Akina felt her heart beat a little faster.

* * *

Katsuya entered his apartment to see his father passed out on the couch. It was a familiar sight, and had long since become tiresome to look at. He sighed, dropped his book bag to the floor, and went to the fridge to see if there was anything edible inside.

Kidono had barely said a word while walking home, which had been uncomfortable. With his friends, someone was always chattering away, fending off the silence. He had gotten used to being too distracted to think about things. In the quietness of the girl's footsteps mixed with his own, there was nothing to prevent his mind from wandering to the latest set of worries on his plate.

The people who his dad had been racking up debts with started coming around more often these past few months, getting impatient for their money. It was stressful, and tiring, and it made him angry. It made him angry and a little bit sad as well. Couldn't the old man see his bad habits were the root of it all?

The blonde shut the fridge, rolling his tongue around in his mouth. He could still taste the rice and fried chicken.

The taste of love, huh?

If it was there, he couldn't recognize it. It had been seven years since his mother had cooked him a meal, and that would have been the only time love could have been put into it. Now it was all pre-made microwavable foods or things from a cheap restaurant.

It didn't matter what it was made with. Compared to what he normally ate, of course Akina's cooking was good.

* * *

Tada! Chapter three!

I love writing Yuugi. He's just so cheerful and high-spirited and friendly. He's like, "Jonouchi-kun!" and I can just hear that adorable squeak he does at the end of it. Makes me smile.

As a quick side note, since my two lovely reviewers thus far have mentioned how they liked season zero as well, but did not like Kaiba's green hair. I also disliked Kaiba's green hair. That's probably why he won't be appearing in this story. I didn't like the icky, orange-brown on pastel green uniforms the girls wear, but I have to include those, so oh well. I didn't like how rushed the last few episodes were. I also didn't like that Tea didn't get to perform her pop dance in episode nineteen, because I was so hyped for that.

I liked everything else, though. I strangely liked Miho's presence _very_ much. She's such a gold digger, and doesn't even try to hide it. The fact that they put someone like that in a group of high school students catches my fancy like none other.

Back to the story- I had thought about writing in a 'walking home' scene, but then I decided it would be too uneventful, since as our favorite blonde has said, the girl barely spoke a word. I decided it would be too boring to read, and too boring to write!

I mostly focused on Katsuya this chapter since I like his pov so much, and that I'm determined to not make Akina the main star of this story. She can have her back-story or whatever, but I'm set on keeping the canon character's problems at the front of the line!

Anyways, please review if you like the story! Even something tiny would be great. I've got all of these Kaiba/Jonouchi, Mai/Jonouchi and Yuugi/Jonouchi lovers breathing down my neck…


	4. Discipline Is Best

Chapter Four  
—_Discipline Is Best_—

"Ehehe!" Yuugi giggled while collecting his cards from the game board. "I win again, Jonouchi-kun!"

"You're just too good at this, you know?" the blonde sighed, leaning back in his chair at his defeat.

Today for lunch, he was playing games with Yuugi. Anzu and Miho were off to the side watching and talking about something that didn't really catch his interest, and Honda, as expected, was lurking around Miho prepared to do her bidding. It had been a while since he'd spent time with his friends in a classroom, so this was a nice change from the usual lunch hours.

There was no homemade food today. There hadn't been any the day before, and the day before that, and the _week_ before that, too. The reason wasn't just because of his nearly empty pockets.

Recently, the class representative had been as distant as possible while still being an active enforcer of the classroom rules. He wasn't disappointed or anything- he'd been expecting it, actually.

A week and a half ago, there was a knock at his door.

It had been about two in the morning, and although he'd rolled off the couch groggily, the blonde was fully awake by the time he reached the doorway. There was only one reason why someone would be at his apartment so late at night.

Uneasiness built inside of him as he turned the door knob, wondering how he was going to deal with them this time. The door opened, and there stood two men. They were looking very sharp and professional- very dangerous, as always.

"Good evening, Katsuya-chan" said the taller one. "Is your father in?"

"Nope"

"Any idea when he'll be back?"

Sweat rolled down his neck. "Nope"

"Hmm…" the other man adjusted the shades resting on the bridge of his nose. "He has been late with paying us lately, you see…"

Jonouchi laughed under his breath. "I'm sure the old man'll pay up soon, so-"

"We like to think that Jonouchi-san's top priority is paying us back" the first man voiced while stepping inside, leather shoes pressing into the carpet. The slightly shorter man remained at the door, eyes hidden by his dark sunglasses. "Also, we like it when our thoughts mirror the truth. What would you say your father's top priority is, Katsuya-chan?"

Katsuya struggled to stop the reflexive clenching of his fists. "That's…paying you guys back, like you said…" he unconsciously stiffened as a smile appeared on the man's face.

"Of course, of course…but if that's so, then why is he so content spending money when it should be handed over to us?" the man's question came out as a disappointed sigh, the tip of his polished shoe tapping an empty whisky bottle laying by the couch. "It seems very contradictory to me"

"Well he…he just needs some time-"

"Ah, _time!_" the suited man cut in, smile widening and becoming all the more unpleasant. "Yes, all anyone ever needs is time. But so much time has been used up already! People can't be greedy about time- everyone needs an equal share of it. Jonouchi-san has had his fair share of time now, right? And…" his expression became darker as he met eyes with the student. "We're tired of waiting. The money isn't here, nor is our customer…how about we just take a few things to make up for it?"

"Hey, wait-" the blonde looked from one figure to the other. "Wait a sec! You're _robbing_ me?!"

The man without sunglasses chuckled at the exclamation. "No, of course not. We're simply accepting payment in the form of possessions instead of money"

With a snap of the tall man's fingers, the shorter one stepped past the threshold and across the stained carpet, nearly tearing a lamp from its socket. More things were collected- the clock, silverware, and various other items. The boy was sure he had been the one to pay for all of it, yet he couldn't help but stay where he was. The results would be worse if he didn't.

Stepping towards a small nightstand, the more talkative businessman picked up a picture frame, glancing at the photograph inside with an amused expression. "The frame is in good shape, and the design has nice quality. We'll take this too"

Katsuya felt his body become tense. "That's…!"

"I believe we have the payment now"

The blonde watched as the two men made their way towards the door, the picture frame in the one man's hand glinting in the dim light of the apartment.

"Hey!" Jonouchi jumped forward, fear finally releasing him. "Hey, the picture! Take the damn frame, but give me the picture first!" the pair didn't respond to his demand, and finally the boy lunged at the taller man, one hand grabbing hold of the figure's shoulder while the other reached for the picture frame.

It happened quickly- a blur of motion he barely even noticed. The man's shoulder was out of his grasp and there was a distinct crunching sensation as a fist connected with his face, making him stumble backwards onto the couch. Blood trickled out of his lip from where his teeth had broken through.

Laughing briefly, the well-dressed man removed the picture from its frame and flicked it at the dazed teenager. Fluttering to the floor, the photo of a happy family smiled up at Katsuya's collapsed form.

"There you go" the man chuckled, pulling a tissue out of his suit pocket and running it over his reddened hand. "Make sure to get a good sleep tonight, Katsuya-chan, there's school tomorrow"

He hadn't gotten a good sleep. He wasn't even sure if he'd slept at all. Carefully picking the picture up from the floor, Jonouchi lost all awareness of the things around him until his father had come home, and by then it was time to get ready for school.

Before leaving he quickly wiped the blood away from his mouth and chin, ignoring the harsh waves of pain. Then he'd arrived at school, heading to his classroom quickly to avoid running into his friends. No need to make them worry.

But in his evasiveness, he'd forgotten about her.

"What happened, Jonouchi-kun?" she asked after arriving. It was rare for their representative to start talking so close to the beginning of class, which made him think she might have been a bit concerned. "Fighting is against the school's code of conduct, you know"

"It wasn't a fight"

Kidono furrowed her brow. "Well, what was it?"

"I fell down some stairs, alright?" he growled, looking away from the girl. "Class is about to start, you know? Better get to your seat"

The class representative remained standing in front of his desk, hands on the top of it and eyes downcast. Her fallow hair fell over her face a little as the girl bit her lip.

"I don't believe you. Let's go to the nurse's office…" she lifted a hand from the desk, fingers brushing over the bruised flesh of his cheek delicately. "Look, you're all swollen-"

Katsuya could already feel the regret filling him as he acted before thinking. Grabbing her hand, the blonde slammed it back down onto his desk and Akina's expression crumpled as she inhaled sharply- a gasp of pain. The hand was still bandaged.

One or two students looked in their direction to see what had happened, but the girl had already regained her composure. Her royal blue eyes glared down at him as the injured hand curled beneath the boy's palm.

"Since when was I your business?" he demanded, returning her glare.

The bell signaling the start of class rang through the classroom, but the fallow haired girl stayed where she was.

"You're not my friend" the blonde continued in attempt to make her go. "You're just the class representative, and you can't use that as an excuse"

Finally, the words seemed to have an effect. Akina pulled her hand out from underneath his, skin squeaking on the tabletop. Without a second glance she turned away from him and walked to her seat, waiting until all the students had settled before beginning her usual commands.

* * *

"You've been coming here during lunch a lot lately, Jonouchi" Anzu observed. "Not making any friends in your own class?"

"Nah…" Jonouchi sighed, putting his feet up on the desk in front of him. "They're all boring"

"But I thought you were good friends with Kidono-san" Yuugi mumbled in puzzlement. "Wasn't she being nice?"

"She was just being the class representative"

Anzu and Yuugi looked at one another before turning their heads back to the blonde delinquent and opening their mouths at the same time. "You were dumped?" they asked simultaneously, making the boy slap a hand to his face.

"No," he forced out. "I wasn't dumped"

"Cheated on?" the pair questioned again.

"No"

"Flat out rejected?" they tried, heads tilting.

"No!"

"Was she using you for sex without any thoughts of an actual relationship in mind?"

The trio looked to where the last question had originated from and saw Miho standing several inches away. She cocked her head to the side curiously, awaiting a response.

"Ah! Miho, when did you get here?" Anzu wondered aloud.

"Just a few minutes ago" the bluenette answered sweetly. "I heard most of the conversation"

Katsuya rubbed his face. "What part of the conversation made you think a seventeen year old schoolgirl would be doing things like that…?"

Miho shrugged. "It happens"

"I don't really understand" Yuugi mumbled. "Kidono-san is a nice girl…"

"If she's just using you for sex, that's okay!" the pony-tailed girl informed the blonde dedicatedly. "But if she's using you for money, then it's bad! Get out while you still can, Jonouchi-kun!"

"Aren't both those situations bad…?" the brown haired girl of the group pointed out, laughing weakly.

The lunch hours went on like this most of the time, and the subject of Kidono Akina had quickly faded away. Yuugi and the rest hadn't asked much on his injury the week before, either, believing he'd gotten into a fight with his dad. They didn't question things much- it was one of the reasons why he liked hanging out with them so much. Nothing to explain- just relax and enjoy what was happening then and there.

His old man hadn't asked about the missing things- he probably didn't notice. That was one good thing about him. Didn't pay attention where a parent should.

Thinking of things that way, it was one of the few reasons he had to enjoy heading home, because the lunch hours only lasted so long, and then it was back to his own classroom where things weren't as carefree. The class representative paid attention to everything. She questioned things. She didn't mettle with him much these days, though, which was good.

Jonouchi kicked a can out of his way as he walked down the street.

It was _good_.

"Jonouchi-kun!"

Pausing in his footsteps, the blonde looked back over his shoulder to see a short figure running towards him, waving. "Yuugi?" he asked as his friend caught up to him. "What's the rush, buddy?"

"No rush," Yuugi said while catching his breath. "I just…you've been walking home without waiting for us a lot recently. I thought, maybe…something was wrong?"

"Is that all?" Katsuya put on a grin. "Sorry, I've been busy with part-time jobs and stuff. Didn't mean to make you worry! The old man's just been getting worse and worse these days, and…" he trailed off quickly. "What have you been up to lately?"

He saw the shorter teenager furrow his brow and hoped it was because of the question.

"Me?"

"Yeah, win any card games lately?"

The spiky haired boy grinned brightly. "Well, I beat you at lunch-"

"Oh, quit rubbing it in!" the blonde whined. "I'm lousy at card games, I get it!"

"Ehehe!"

Jonouchi laughed along with his friend quietly, brown eyes trailing along the ground in front of them. His sneakers made shadows before they touched the sidewalk, giving him a sense of vertigo as they sunk in and out of the pavement each time he took a step.

* * *

Hey, look. An update. Those don't happen often- no, ladies and gentlemen, not often at all.

So I had some stuff go on this chapter. Katsuya mentioned time from time that his father was always wracking up debts and spending all their money on alcohol- we didn't get a very clear image of his dad, but from my tiny impression of him, he seemed like the type of guy who'd willingly go to shady placing to get money- i.e. yakuza and the like. We had a bit o' violence early on and then a bit of fleeting humor, followed by dreariness.

I really wanted to put in a scene from Akina's point of view, but couldn't find a good place for it. The end of the chapter felt really final to me so I couldn't slip it in after that, and I had a lot of weird transitions in here so that made it hard to find a spot for something in between. The unusual transitioning is from a different work of mine- I'd been doing the prologue while working on this chapter, and in it I had some scene changes, so the style kind of slipped into this on accident. I've also been working on my Whitewing story a lot in the past little while, and I make a point to not use line breaks for changing scenes in that story, just because. Oh, and I finally updated my story on Fiction Press, and that one doesn't have line breaks either since all the really professional and smooth looking stories on the site don't have them, so I attempt to learn from the best. The novels I like usually don't have them either.

I'm sorry, now I'm just making excuses.

I was looking through FF for stories of our favorite blonde, and do you know how hard it is to find a story summary that doesn't have Katsuya/Jonouchi/Joey/Jou/Dog and Kaiba/Seto in it? Excruciatingly hard. So hard that I was staring to feel nauseous from how much effort I was putting into looking. I mean…holy mackerel. No wonder no one likes this story (accept for my two much loved reviewers). It's as if writing something about him that isn't yaoi is illegal.

That paragraph had nothing to do with the story, really. I just felt like ranting. Anyways, back to important things. This chapter was meant to move the plot along and put some space between my two main characters. Shake things up a little, make some conflict. Satisfy that sadist in me. You know.

When will I get the next chapter out? Well…I haven't a clue. My computer got all infected recently (all I wanted was an MKV to AVI converter!) so it'll have to be wiped, and then I'll have to re-install all my junk, including Microsoft Word, so the whole process will undoubtedly slow my writing down.

So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please, if you add this story to your favorites, why not review? Let me know why you like it.


	5. Before It Goes Bad

Chapter Five  
—_Before It Goes Bad_—

He was sweaty, red-faced and his head had been nodding since before he sat down that morning. The boy was clearly feeling unwell- the glazed look in his eyes told her so, along with the unnatural paleness his skin held beneath his flushed cheeks. His hand trembled as he wrote down the teacher's notes. That in itself was odd- taking notes, that is. He rarely took notes during class.

Her royal blue eyes were half-lidded to hide her concern as Katsuya's figure gave the slightest shudder before collapsing. His pencil scratched along the desk fiercely, alarming the people sitting nearby.

The clacking of chalk on the blackboard stopped for a moment as the teacher turned to see what the noise was about. Several students did the same, staring at the unconscious blonde with irritation for interrupting the class.

"What's this?" the teacher wanted to know, walking towards the ill student. "Jonouchi is asleep again?"

"I think he's sick!" the girl who sat beside him pointed out. Laying a single finger on the boy's forehead, she grimaced.

"Will someone take him to the nurse's office, then?"

Kidono Akina's hand went up.

"I'll take him" she announced, her face a blank slate. "I'm the class representative, after all"

* * *

His head throbbed as he opened his eyes. Jonouchi felt like closing them again and falling back asleep, but the wall he was looking at was different from the classroom's, and he was lying down, so the teenager decided he just _had_ to keep his eyes open for a bit longer, because he didn't know where he was right now.

Rolling over took an immense amount of effort. He paused himself as he was on his back, breathing in and out slowly before shifting onto his side again. Now he was looking at a white curtain, a chair, and a figure in the chair. It was all very blurry, but the student managed to realize that he was in the nurse's office.

Satisfied, he shut his eyes, trying to ignore the annoying mix of hot and cold his body was experiencing.

"Jonouchi-kun?"

Oh right, there had been someone in the chair. A girl, judging from the voice. He knew that voice.

Prying open his eyes, Katsuya squinted hard to make out the rust brown and pastel green uniform, along with full-length stockings. The schoolgirl stood up, walking up to his bed and bending down to peer at him. He peered back at her, the girl's short fallow hair falling forward as her blue eyes scanned him.

Akina.

Instantly he felt his concentration wane, eyes closing.

"You passed out in class, you know"

"Hn" was his weary response.

"The nurse says you're very sick. I agree. What have you been doing to ruin your health like this?"

"Nothing" the blonde sighed weakly, rolling over again so he wouldn't be facing the girl. He didn't want to talk right now, especially not to her. Couldn't she tell that much?

"You might think it's nothing, but someone else might have a different opinion! I know you're tired, Jonouchi-kun, but as class representative it's my duty to ensure the well-being of the other students, so please tell me-"

"Enough with the class representative bullshit!" he growled, inwardly amaze at how much effort it took to raise his voice. "I said it already, didn't I? You're not my friend. Just go back to class"

"That's right!" he felt her hands press into the bed's mattress. "I don't _want_ to be your friend! Can you understand what I mean, Jonouchi-kun?!"

There was an odd sense of desperation in the girl's words. At least, he had thought so before another wave of heat washed over him. Shivering discreetly, Katsuya found that his fever was making him delusional.

"I don't get what you mean, class rep"

Through a cloud of drowsiness he waited for her to elaborate her meaning. She would prattle on about something involving responsibility and high test scores, and then…

When the boy realized she wasn't saying anything, he mustered up the strength to shift himself onto his back before looking to the side. There was nothing but a white curtain and an empty chair.

Shortly after he had confirmed the absence of his class representative the school nurse pulled back the curtain a little and gave him some medicine. He fell asleep without effort this time, and without the collision of his head and a school desk.

When the blonde woke up later that day he felt a bit better, and at the same time much worse.

* * *

"I heard you got taken to the nurse's office today, Jonouchi-kun!" Yuugi exclaimed upon sighting his best friend. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Jonouchi slipped on his street shoes carefully, determined to not lose his balance. "The rest really helped"

"Maybe I should walk home with you" the smaller boy offered, his voice still full of worry.

"Well…" the edges of a fever spun through him and he leaned against the shoe lockers discreetly. There was no way he could keep denying his best buddy. "Sure, since I'm not one-hundred percent yet. Let's wait for everyone else"

Yuugi beamed at the words. "Yeah!"

Honda, Anzu and Miho showed up soon enough. They walked along the street together for the first time in several days, the loud chatter between his four friends helping the blond forget about the guilty ache in his gut.

"So how did you end up getting sick?" the self-proclaimed beautification member of the group wanted to know. "Eat some expired food in your fridge?"

"Hey, shut it! I know better than to eat stuff like that!" Katsuya snapped, his body still feeling strained. He couldn't yell as loud as he'd like to, but it would have to do.

"So then what _did_ make you sick?" Anzu was the one asking this time, her arms tucked behind her back as she looked over her shoulder at him.

Should he tell them, or shouldn't he? It was the internal debate Jonouchi endured before coming up with an answer to the brunette's question.

"I've been working a lot of part-time jobs lately" he admitted to the group, putting his hands in his pockets as he stared at his feet. "Some of them are kind of late at night, too. I guess the exhaustion got to me"

"Your girlfriend is sucking you dry, just like I predicted!" Miho said with an odd sort of cheer in her words. Katsuya tried to ignore the blue haired girl, scowling at her as she wagged a finger at him.

"Do you need money for something, Jonouchi-kun?" Yuugi asked, trying to be positive. "Your sister's birthday is coming up soon! Are you saving for a present?"

Jonouchi snapped his fingers. "That's it! Yeah, a present for Shizuka!"

"It sounds like you're just agreeing to get out of explaining yourself" Anzu mumbled doubtfully. "Is that _really_ what it's for?"

"Or course!" the blonde laughed weakly. "What else would it be for?"

The brown eyed girl frowned at the unconvincing statement. "What else, huh?"

"I could think of a few different reasons!" Honda piped. "Like buying Kidono-san a present for_ her_ birthday!"

Katsuya turned his head around to stare at him, looking disinterested and feverish. "Kidono's birthday?"

"I understand that you want to keep your sensitive schoolboy feelings a secret, Jonouchi, but it's pointless to try! You're an open book to me, my friend!"

"Didn't even know her birthday was coming up" the fair haired one ignored most of his friend's blabbering. "How'd you know that?"

"I know the birthdays of all the pretty girls in school!"

Miho took a moment to give Honda a glance. "Sicko"

"M-Miho-chan!" the brunette sputtered. "My intentions were pure- please believe me!"

"Creepy" Misaki berated.

The girls giggled merrily at the boy's downtrodden state, Yuugi joining in quickly even though he didn't quite understand their humor. Jonouchi grinned while listening to the three laugh, feeling satisfied with Honda's punishment. He might have been friends with him for a long time, but he assumed things too much.

He sure as hell wasn't going to buy anything for the class rep, that was for sure!

A stray glance at Yuugi made the blonde's smile fade. He wasn't going to buy anything for his sister, either. Earning money to pay back his old man's debts was already proving to be too much for him. He wouldn't be getting her a present this year. Managing to scrounge up enough to buy something good enough would be a miracle.

Jonouchi Katsuya didn't do miracles. He was only human, after all- he just did was he could, and right now, all he could do was try to keep his friends from worrying about him.

* * *

"Thank you, please come again"

The door hissed open, and another customer exited the store. Jonouchi sighed, holding his head in his hands to quell the throbbing. He'd gotten a part-time job working at a rather no-name convenience store to keep teachers from finding out. It wasn't fun- work never was. He disliked working at the cash register in particular, though, always having to look cheery and welcoming. How was he supposed to look like that when it felt like cotton was going to burst through his skull?

A slight rustle was heard beyond the hands covering his ears. The blonde snapped to attention, but found himself unable to put on a smile for a different reason then being ill.

"For a cashier, you're not very attentive" Akina told him shortly. "I could have walked out without paying and you wouldn't have even known"

"But you would _never_ do that" Katsuya rebutted. "Since you're such a _good_ girl"

"That's true"

The brown eyed boy almost scoffed at her reply, casting his gaze down at the items she had placed on the counter. Chocolate bars, various types of candy, marshmallows, ice-cream sandwiches, a can of fruit juice…

"The hell?"

Kidono's face went pink under his observation. "I…like sweet things" she explained uncomfortably. "I walked all the way here, so it's fine!"

"So that's your excuse?" he began scanning the various treats.

The continuous beeping noise that came with the action made him wince, and the sound stuck in his ears even after he'd scanned all the items. Unable to fight off the urge to close his eyes, Jonouchi put a hand to his head lightly while resting the other on the countertop.

"J…Jonouchi-kun?" it was Akina's far-away voice. "Are you…okay…?"

"I'm fine" he lied to the echoing question. "It's one-thousand and twenty-two"

"What?"

"I said it's one-thousand and_ twenty-two yen!_" he shouted, the noise in his ears clearing.

For a brief moment she looked startled. The girl tilted herself backwards, only to step closer to the counter and look to the side with little more than a huff. "Oh, I see. And, um…" she traced her hand along the nearby shelf to pick up a bottle and set it down with her other things. The pills inside it rattled before she spoke again. "I also want this"

Katsuya grudgingly scanned it. "One-thousand, three-hundred and seventy-two yen"

The fallow haired girl withdrew a five-thousand yen bill from her pocket and handed it to the boy. He gathered the necessary change, wishing she's used a smaller amount of money to pay.

"Thanks" she said when receiving her tender, reaching for the bag containing her purchases as the blonde closed the case register.

"Have a good evening" he droned.

Akina didn't leave right away, digging inside the plastic bag to extract the bottle she had hastily decided to buy. When the blue eyed girl threw it at him, Jonouchi was surprised and nearly missed in catching it. It was definitely the fever and the aching joints that made him falter- not her swift actions.

"What was that for!" he snapped after slamming the offending object down on the countertop.

"I'm giving that to you now" the class representative of 2-B answered. "I don't need it anyways- people should only take medicine if their sick"

"So save it for when you're sick! I don't want-"

"_I_ don't want to drag you to the nurse's office again, and _I_ don't want you skipping out on lessons, so you better take it!" Akina emphasized her threat by pointing a finger at him. "_Or else!_"

The fallow haired schoolgirl then walked out of the convenience store, leaving Jonouchi with nothing for company but a bottle of pain-relieving medicine.

He glared defiantly at the empty space where Kidono had once been for several minutes. Blinking, the blonde looked down at the white bottle resting on the counter, his expression a mix of confusion and sickliness. Picking up the small container, he glanced around the store area before dropping it into his pocket wordlessly.

Once his shift was over he'd go home, take the medicine, and go to sleep.

* * *

A knock on the door. Jonouchi awoke instantly, tossing the thin blanket off himself and scrambling to his feet. The melted bag of ice that had been resting on the teenager's forehead fell to the floor with a wet thud. His hand closed over an envelope resting on the table before Katsuya moved to confirm who was outside.

Treading across the stained carpet, the blonde paused when reaching for the door as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Time to take medicine again. With his palm pressing into the doorknob, the boy took a few shaky breaths before twisting it. The door opened with a click, and he thrust the envelope forward readily.

"Here!" he growled at the suited figure blurring in and out of his vision. "Here's fifty-thousand!"

The man tilted his head down to look at the paper pressing against his tie. "What's this, Katsuya-chan? Money from _you?_"

"That's right. I'm paying you back"

A brief chuckle. "Ah, yes, well…" the well dressed figure lifted a hand to take the envelope, careful to not make contact with the teenager's fingers. "That's _sweet_ of you, but a mere fifty-thousand yen won't be enough. Surely you didn't think-"

"Come back in a month" Katsuya breathed. "I'll have more then"

"Oh? Are you sure you can manage that? You look so tired"

"Yeah, I'm tired. Of course I'm tired; it's the middle of the night! So leave and let me sleep!" the high school student demanded, his loose grip on reality letting him forget about the restraint he usually held himself with in the presence of these people.

For several seconds there was silence, Jonouchi's heart hammering painfully inside of him as he tried to breath. An amused, frightening smile crossed the black haired man's face as he turned to leave.

"…Alright Katsuya-chan. In one month, we'll find out if you take after your father"

* * *

So it's been five chapters already, but I've only just realized that I completely forgot about Bakura. His story in season zero was so quickly done, and the end was all, "I hope we can play again sometime!", so it's hard to decided what to…_do_ with that. I don't think he'll ever appear in this story, since it's not like a wide range of characters show up anyways. If you need a solid explanation, then let's just say he's in a different class and too shy to come visit everyone else.

Now, onto more important things. Fifty-thousand yen is something like five-hundred dollars. Not that much in the grand scheme of things, but quite a lot for a struggling high school student, in my humble opinion. Poor Jonouchi, will he be able to get enough money by next month?

Sorry about the long time without updates. I've gone longer, believe me. Not that such a fact makes things better. Actually, it probably only makes things worse, since my two dear readers will probably stop and think, "how long will she take THIS time?"

Anyways, thanks for reading. I hope you liked the latest chapter.


	6. Sort of Rendezvous

Chapter Six  
—_Sort of Rendezvous_—

It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the longest he had ever kept himself facing the front of the class. Jonouchi stared at the chalkboard almost unblinkingly, dazed beyond any hope of regaining awareness. The clacking of chalk and the faint drone of the teacher's voice, along with all the usual classroom noises were completely drowned out by a noisy train of thought making circles in his mind.

A month had gone by. His health had returned and he had managed to scrounge up more then the last time, just as promised, but would it be enough?

Eventually these thoughts were interrupted sudden ideas as Katsuya thought of ways to avoid the debt collectors altogether. The boy figured he could leave and stay at someone's house for the night- maybe they wouldn't find him. But whichever friend he chose to stay with would ask why, and while they had been satisfied with coming to his house and harassing his son, there was nothing stopping those men from finding his dad at whatever bar he was in that night. He could call the cops- it was their job to stop crime. The downfall with that strategy was that the police would undoubtedly find out about his father's criminal actions and throw him in jail as well. Somehow, both situations seemed to end up with his father not coming home in the end.

For the first time that period Jonouchi looked away from what was in front of him, burying his hands in his hair. He sighed silently, rubbing his eyes with his palms before looking forward again through parted fingers. He could see Kidono from afar, taking notes as diligently as ever. She didn't have a non-school related care in the world, it seemed. With a frown the boy allowed these thoughts to distract him from his troubles, watching as the girl erased a portion of her writing to start a sentence over.

It must be nice to be her, he jived silently. But then his eyes shifted downwards and Katsuya remembered the full-length stockings that covered Akina's legs. No. She's troubled too.

"Has the bruise still not healed?" he mumbled wonderingly.

When the bell chimed and Jonouchi started to leave the classroom, he was momentarily distracted when noticing that the class representative was eating cake for lunch.

* * *

"You're not visiting your sister tomorrow?" Yuugi echoed the blonde's words in concern, his brow furrowing. "But it's her birthday then, isn't it? Is that really okay…?"

"Of course!" Jonouchi reassured him.

"And you were even saving up for a present, too…"

The taller teenager put on a carefree grin for his friend, but inside he was sinking deep into guilt. He couldn't have any of them showing up at Shizuka's hospital tomorrow expecting him to be there. Although he would try with all his might to visit her, it all depended on how things went tonight. On whether or not those men would be appeased and finally leave him be. Until everything was settled, he couldn't risk involving his friends. Katsuya had been through some tough times with Yuugi and the rest, but those times were different. Those were _games_, and this was- it was too risky to drag them into it. He could take care of his father's problems himself. He'd have to.

"Shizuka's been feeling really good lately, so mom's taking her out for the day" the fair haired one told his shorter companion, putting his arms behind his head as he leaned back in Anzu's chair- she and Miho had gone to buy bread, and Honda accompanied them for obvious reasons. "That's the best present for her- I can see her another day"

"Oh! I see…" but as Yuugi nodded and smiled at his friend's lie, Jonouchi saw how the boy's brow creased in concern and knew he didn't quite believe him this time.

"We're back!" Miho announced in a sing-song voice as she and two brunettes walked into the classroom.

"Welcome back!" Yuugi chimed.

Katsuya breathed a sigh of relief shortly before someone tugged on his ear. "Ow!" he turned his head slightly to see Anzu frowning at him. "Oi, cut it out!"

"Then get out of my seat" the girl told him whilst releasing her hold. "Honestly, this isn't even your classroom"

"What? It's just a seat!" the blonde grumbled, though he did get to his feet a few seconds afterwards.

"Jonouchi-kun isn't going to see his sister tomorrow" Yuugi reported glumly, earning a similar response from the rest of the group.

"You won't visit Shizuka-chan on her birthday, Jonouchi?!" Honda asked incredulously.

"She's going out with mom tomorrow" Katsuya repeated his lie from earlier, abet with less enthusiasm.

Miho tilted her head to the side slightly. "Why don't you just go with them?"

This time, Jonouchi's expression was true as he scowled at the blunette's words. "_Why?_"

"Well, she's you're mom too, isn't she? It would be fun!"

Katsuya almost face-palmed. Anzu did it for him. Per usual, Miho had no tact whatsoever.

"Ah, that- about that, Miho-chan," Hiroto pulled the bubbly girl to the side to explain to her the delicacy of the relationship between their friend and his mother, like how Jonouchi-san's ex-wife had specifically demanded the custody of their daughter and not their son.

"How about we all play a game?" Yuugi dashed away the uncomfortable topic of Jonouchi's family with his suggestion.

"Sounds like fun!" Misaki agreed. "What should we play?"

"Um…" Yuugi shuffled through his desk for a moment before withdrawing a pack of playing cards from within. "How about Pig's Tail?"

"Alright, let's do this!" Jonouchi started to shove desks and chairs out of the way to clear a spot on the floor for their game. "The loser has to clean the classroom at the end of the day!"

"You're not in this class, Jonouchi" Honda pointed out.

The blonde raised a fist in challenge. "I'll still clean it- not that I'm going to lose!"

"Oh, is that so?!"

"Their getting so worked up" Anzu sighed as Yuugi began shuffling his cards. "It's just a game"

"I'm pretty excited too!" the spiky haired youth admitted, grinning as his childhood friend shook her head hopelessly.

* * *

Katsuya hated being home when his father left the apartment. He hated watching as the man opened the door and stepped outside. He always wanted to tell him to not leave- to stay home, just once. He wanted to ask him to save their money for something truly important. But the boy could never manage to say anything at all, and tonight was just the same. Jonouchi watched the door close in silence.

He spent the rest of his evening pacing around the confines of the apartment, a faded white envelope resting on the coffee table with sixty-thousand yen nestled inside of it. There wasn't even the ticking of a clock to accompany his anxious footfalls, for the one clock they owned had long since been taken as an alternate form of payment. It was after an uncounted number of rounds around the living area that those same men were knocking at his door. The blonde almost inched towards the apartment's entrance, picking the money-filled envelope up off the counter as he slowly strode forward. His free hand grasped the door handle and squeezed it tightly to make the tremors in his fingers disappear. When Katsuya finally opened the door, he met the men on the other side of the threshold with an expression that said the boy was everything he _wasn't_- strong, fearless and prepared.

"Good evening, Katsuya-chan" the shorter one announced, smiling cattishly.

"Likewise" Jonouchi replied woodenly. "I'm sure you can already guess, but the old man isn't in"

"And that is perfectly fine!" the man let him know, taking his hands from his pockets to clap them together lightly. "Because tonight we've come to see you. I'm sure you remember the promise we made some thirty days ago"

"Absolutely" the boy muttered, holding up the faded white envelope for both men to see.

The lead man's smile twisted with humor as he took the rectangular arrangement of paper from the blonde's grasp and opened it, counting the money out on the spot. "Sixty-thousand yen…" he mused. "I'm impressed, Katsuya-chan. That's quite a lot for a high school student to make in only one month"

Katsuya felt himself smile, just a little. "It's enough, right? You'll forget about my father's debts and not come around anymore?"

The businessman's smile twisted further and he let out a light chuckle that dashed the ghost of a smile from Jonouchi's lips. Even the larger figure that stood beside his laughing partner let his shoulder's quiver. The boy knew then that it wasn't enough- that it would never be enough.

"While it's true that this is a fair sum of money for a teenager, your father could easily lose it all in a single night!" the black haired male laughed as he approached the fairer haired one, his grin nearly predatory. "When including interest for making us wait like he does, the estimated amount of what he owes us is at least five time what you've paid, Katsuya-chan. There's no way we could just forget about that. You understand, don't you? We're businessmen. If we let things like this slide, people will think less of us"

You're already the scum of the earth! People couldn't think any less of you if they tried! Jonouchi felt like telling him, but instead he swallowed his words and took one heavy step backwards to put space between the suited man and himself.

"We can, however, forget about your father" the man told him. "You haven't made us wait, and we like that. How would you like to be our customer instead of Jonouchi-san? We could loan you money for your rent and even for college, so long as you promise to pay us back"

At those words Katsuya felt a ball of fire form inside the pit of his stomach, his eyes settling into a hard glare. "There's no way in hell," he growled, "that I'd ever get involved with bastards like you!"

"But you already are involved"

A hand grasped his shoulder.

"You involved yourself the moment you decided to try and help your father"

Jonouchi whipped his head around to see the taller man standing behind him. _When did he-_

The blonde ducked as the suited figure threw a fist in his direction, pivoting on his feet so fast that he felt the heat of friction through his socks. He swung a leg outwards, missing the attacking man's leader as he stepped out of the doorway and into the apartment. A leg pressed into Katsuya's ribs and he hastily grabbed a hold of it to lessen the impact. The limb jerked upwards, the boy narrowly escaping a kick in the face as his grip was lost. He barreled to the side, grabbing his shoes in the flurry of motion before coming to a stop at the door. The two men watched in surprise as the blonde dashed through the open entrance. Their lack of response lasted for only a second, the sound of hammering footsteps chasing after Jonouchi as he clambered down the stairs towards the next level of the building. Whilst leaping past the final four steps the teenager slipped on one of his shoes, putting on the other when he jumped from the second floor.

For a brief moment the boy felt weightless, as though all his worries had been lifted from him. But then the darkness below was registered by his eyes and he tried to remember how to fall properly.

Katsuya's feet hit the pavement as his knees were bent and the boy found himself doing a summersault with the unwanted momentum the landing had provided him with. His skin scraped roughly against the ground and he could hear his shirt rip slightly beyond the clamoring in his head. Dizzily he forced himself into a run, his joints still screaming from the impact. The sound of leather hitting the sidewalk caught the blonde's attention and he looked over his shoulder to see two shadowy figures in pursuit. It seemed that leaping from the second story was child's play for those two. Out of sheer willpower Jonouchi managed to increase his pace, not knowing where he was running to or if fleeing was truly the best choice. The footfalls that came after his slowed down somewhat before dissipating, being replaced shortly with the second of the two men's voices.

"He'll get away at this rate" said the echoes of words.

"We'll just have to slow him down a little, won't we?" the other purred, followed by a soft clicking noise that Katsuya had only ever heard on TV.

Wait- they wouldn't- _there's no way they'd seriously_-

The boy's thoughts were shattered by a defining bang, and despite the darkness that surrounded him Jonouchi saw white. For a split second he was senseless, numb and without awareness of what had happened. Then pain came surging through his nerves and his brain told him that his leg was hurting- that it was bitten and on fire and everything else pain related. He nearly wretched while holding in a scream, staggering into the closest alley as he clutched at his injured leg. Between the agony and adrenaline, the blonde noted that it might have been his calve from which these sensations were radiating, an unsettling wetness touching his skin as white hot pain gave way to chilled terror.

Was I just_ shot?_ Katsuya had to ask himself, not quite willing to process reality even as he dragged himself along, the footfalls of his pursuers not far behind.

"Damn it…" the teenager hissed, tears blending all the shadows and dark outlines of objects into a hazy sheet of black that covered his eyes. "_Damn-_"

He stumbled into something and fell. Whatever he had collapsed on crinkled and shifted beneath his stomach unpleasantly. Jonouchi pawed at it blindly for a moment, feeling plastic and unnamable shapes with his fingers. Possibly bags. With some patchwork guessing the blonde assumed he must have found his way onto someone's garbage pile and hastily crawled further into it, hoisting some of them up with a shaky arm and placing them on top of himself. His bruised body and injured leg screamed at him to stop, but the voice in his head telling him to hide drowned them out.

The sound of fine leather shoes on dirt echoed into his ears, seeming to even pass by him for a moment before the two men retraced their steps. Katsuya held his breath as the pair slowly trailed past the supposed garbage pile concealing him, his heart beating so loudly he worried they could hear it.

"I was sure he came down here" the less talkative of the two remarked, his voice accompanied by the sound of walking as they moved along. "Should we look out by the road again?"

"Hmm…" Jonouchi strained his ears to hear the other man's reply. "No…I think I've had enough fun for tonight. He did pay us, after all- such a good boy…"

Nearly a whole minute passed before their footsteps dispersed completely, leaving the boy in silence as his lungs trembled. Finally he released the air he'd been holding in, gasping and coughing when he breathed in the unpleasant smell of what had hidden him. His leg throbbed worse then ever with the sudden rush of blood through his veins, and Katsuya groaned quietly as he waited for the sensation to fade a little. It took several minutes, and at last the boy sat himself up.

With his shoulder pressed lightly against the alley wall, Jonouchi ran his hand down the length of his jeans slowly. The blonde's fingers brushed against a dampened portion of the material and he stopped for a moment, startled. He then swallowed his hesitance and continued, inklings of pain appearing as the light pressure of his hand met with the concealed wound on his calve. Jonouchi kept it there for a moment, his fingertips running along slightly damaged material. Even as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, the boy was having trouble seeing what he was feeling, but the small tears in the jeans were undoubtedly from he had been shot. He was nothing close to an expert, but judging from where the wound was, the extent of pain he was in and where the holes in his pants were, Katsuya was fairly certain he had only been grazed.

"Great…" he sighed, leaning further against the wall in exhaustion. "Now what…?"

The boy almost wished someone was around to actually answer his question, because he had no answers for himself. What should he do now? He should probably go to the hospital, but gunshot wounds needed to be reported to the police, and that would be defeating the entire purpose of why he hadn't called them himself. Home didn't seem like a safe place for the time being. The next best option would be to go to someone else's house.

Gripping the ridges in the wall, Jonouchi slowly pulled himself to his feet, favoring his good leg considerably. Just standing up brought on a fresh wave of pain, and he couldn't avoid questioning how he was going to walk all the way to one of his friend's houses. The blonde rested himself against the wall heavily, clenching his fists to try and ignore the raw ache of his injured leg.

"_You're not visiting your sister tomorrow? But it's her birthday then, isn't it? Is that really okay…?"_

"_You won't visit Shizuka-chan on her birthday, Jonouchi?!"_

"_Oh! I see…"_

Katsuya shut his eyes upon recalling his friends' words, his jaw clenching as he forced himself to ignore the longing for help. He couldn't go to them for this- he'd told them lies to keep them from worrying; being honest just to help himself would only be selfish.

But that still didn't change the fact that he had to go _somewhere_.

The blonde stepped away from the wall slightly, keeping both hands against it as he staggered back out to the sidewalk. The moon was out now, pale light filling the street as Jonouchi stared at a lamp in the distance, his back turned in the direction of his apartment building. His brown eyes had adjusted more after sitting in the darkness of the alley for so long, and with the faint lights being cast on the surrounding buildings, he could easily tell where he was.

"_Turn left at the end of the block and then two houses down"_

A thought came to him as the boy recalled the directions given to him some time ago. If he went that way, then…

"Turn left at the end of the block," Jonouchi said in concentration as he limped forward. "And then two houses down…"

It was a bit of a gamble, but she owned him a favor for walking her home.

* * *

The class representative of 2-B had no idea what awaited her when her doorbell rang. It was late, and she had been up studying after being unable to fall asleep earlier. She closed her books and hastily made her way down the stairs, heading towards the front door. The girl couldn't even try to think of who would come by at this hour- they rarely had guests to begin with. She leaned towards the door to peek through the transparent curtain on the other side of the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person, but a sudden knocking made her jump away. While it was perfectly normal to knock when no one came to the sound of the doorbell, Akina couldn't help but think this visitor was being unnaturally impatient with her.

She grabbed the doorknob, twisting it slowly, her other hand pressing hard against the door. When the handle could turn no more the girl started to remove some of her weight, and with one last shred of hesitance, she pulled. The door opened faster then she though it would, making Akina take a step back to avoid getting hit in the face. The impatient person who had been waiting outside stumbled forward, shaggy blonde hair hiding their expression as they placed a hand on the schoolgirl's shoulder to steady themselves.

"J-Jonouchi-kun!?" Kidono blurted, not knowing what else to say as she took in his ragged appearance. He looked _terrible_.

"Hey-" the blonde leaned against the doorframe, his hand on Akina's shoulder apparently not enough to keep him standing upright. "Mind if I stay here for a little while?"

"_What?_" she barely heard his question, too caught up with looking at the cuts and quickly forming bruises that decorated him. "What are you doing _here?!_ You should be at a hospital!"

Jonouchi shook his head, and then winced regrettably. "No…I don't want to. So will you let me in, class rep?"

"_Absolutely not!_" the girl shouted.

Katsuya made a sound in between a scoff and a hiss of pain. "Fine," he muttered, letting go of her shoulder and latching onto the door as he turned to leave. "I'll just go ask someone else, then"

Akina struggled with herself, but didn't take long to decide to ignore her logical half. "Get inside!" she snapped, grabbing onto the boy's arm and pulling him backwards.

She hadn't realized just how much trouble her classmate had been having with standing. With the light force of her tug he immediately fell against her, and Akina squeaked in alarm as she tried to hold him upright, eventually collapsing on her knees.

"_Ow_" Jonouchi said after a long moment of silence.

"I'm…sorry" the fallow haired girl mumbled, getting to her feet. Her hands held the boy to keep him in place. "Come on. Can you really not get up?"

"Of course I can" the blonde grumbled, shakily standing up for a second before cringing, looking like he was trying to keep his weight off one foot. "It just…kind of hurts"

Akina put his arm over her shoulders and started to walk towards the living room, not giving him a choice in the matter as he leaned against her. "Want to tell me what happened?" she prompt as they inched to their destination.

"Not really" Katsuya replied.

The class representative stopped at the couch and slowly released her hold to have him carefully sit down. Then she put on a mask of calmness and looked down at the battered teenager, her eyes roaming over the various injuries she could spot and the slight tears in his clothing. She stopped at his legs, her calm demeanor slipping into distress for a brief moment as she caught sight of the fresh blood seeping through his jeans.

"Take off you pants"

Jonouchi appeared to doubt his hearing. "_What?_"

"Take off your pants!" Akina demanded. "Your shirt as well!"

The fair haired boy lifted his hands in protest, waving them as much as he could manage. "Wait, wait! I just need to hide until tomorrow!"

"Your leg's bleeding, you know!" his classmate snapped. "You also have a lot of other injuries that could get bad if you leave them alone! If this was the hospital- which is where you should _really_ be- they'd cut up your clothes, no questions asked!"

"I didn't come here for treatment!" Jonouchi shot back. "What are you going to do, cut them up yourself?"

The short haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at him with her royal blue eyes. "_If I have to!_"

He returned her glare at first, but as the seconds passed by a red tinge settled on his face and Katsuya went to remove his shoes. "Takin' advantage of me…!" he muttered grudgingly.

Akina rolled her eyes, leaving to go get her first-aid kit and a pail of water. When she returned, Jonouchi was sitting on her couch wearing only boxers, twiddling his thumbs in a shy manner. His shirt and bloodied jeans were in a ball beside the coffee table, along with his shoes and socks.

"Okay, let's do your leg first" Akina announced, setting the metal box and the water-filled container she had brought with her on the table. "Just lie down, try not to strain yourself"

"You…know first-aid?" the fair haired teenager wondered as he started to shift himself out of his current position.

The girl nodded, withdrawing gauze and various other items from her kit she thought would be needed. "I took a class for it last year…" dipping her hand into the bucket she had brought, Kidono withdrew a cloth and wrung out the access water, shifting towards Jonouchi with the wet square of material. "Now just stay still while I wash the blood off"

Just as she had asked, the blonde didn't move at all as she started to clean the area of his leg that had blood crusting on it. Eventually the area around the wound was clear for inspection and the girl set the reddened cloth back into the pail of water and peered at the gash running along Jonouchi's calve.

It looked…strange. The wound was a thin, rounded sort of line, and the only thing she could think of to compare it with would be the marks cheese graters made. Of course, the size of this gauge was larger then anything a cheese grater could do, and that obviously hadn't been what had gotten him. The skin surrounding the cut was an angry red, which hinted at the roughness that was used to tear the flesh away. But still, what a smooth line…

"Jonouchi-kun, how did your leg get hurt?" she asked, hoping he would answer. "If I know, I'll feel more confident in treating it…"

"I can't remember" she heard him say. Of_ course_ he wouldn't tell her.

Sighing, the girl dabbed a ball of cotton with disinfectant and started to apply it to the mystery wound. She was shocked when Jonouchi jerked upright, attempting to stop her as agony flashed across his face. He grabbed the hand holding the cotton and squeezed tight. "You have _no idea _how much that_ hurts!_" the boy chocked.

"I- I have to disinfect it, Jonouchi-kun!" she protested, trying to pull her hand free. "If it's seriously that bad, then you should go to the hospital!"

"No, I can't!"

"First you don't _want to_, and now you say you _can't!_" Akina shrilled. "Either tell me what's going with you or let me disinfect this!"

The blonde's face was hard as he released her hand and slumped back onto the couch, his teeth gritting when she continued what she had been doing. Not long afterwards she discarded her ball of cotton, deeming his injury to be free of infection. Jonouchi's tense figure unwound and he let out a sigh of relief. Akina opened a bottle that rattled in her hands, withdrawing a single pill from the small container.

"Swallow this" the girl instructed, holding it out to him.

Thankfully Katsuya took it from her and did as told. "Why are you so pushy over stupid stuff?" he wanted to know as Akina tore open a pack of surgical dressing.

"Because I'm the class representative" she replied, unrolling the gauze in her hands.

* * *

Akina hugged the thin blanket to her chest as she walked down the stairs. Her unexpected guest was still lying down on the couch, watching her with barely open eyes as she came to take a seat at its edge. The painkiller she'd given him had a tiring effect, and Jonouchi acknowledged this when his brown eyes fell shut. The girl smiled as the boy turned his head to the side and sighed. She was quiet for a while, the blanket in her arms warming her.

"You know, Jonouchi-kun…" the blue eyed girl started meekly, looking towards the digital clock on the end table. "Today is my birthday. I hadn't been expecting any visitors, so I was really surprised when I heard the doorbell ring…" her socked feet brushed along the carpet lightly as she flexed her knees. "No one else is home, though. It's really quiet in this house, so I heard it very clearly. I…I almost tripped when coming down the stairs! I was just so…" Akina trailed off for a moment. "…I'm sure it's selfish for me to think this, because it looks like you're in a lot of trouble, but I'm really happy you showed up tonight. It's been a long time since I last had someone with me on my birthday"

Another smile graced her features as she looked back at the blonde haired youth. His chest rose and fell evenly, all signs of sleep adorning his person. Looking over the bandage on his leg and the various nicks and cuts she had covered with Band-Aids, Kidono nodded approvingly. Getting up from her seat on the couch, she let the blanket in her arms unfold. The girl placed it over Katsuya's sleeping form with her hands tucking the material up to his chest, careful to leave his wounded leg uncovered. She leaned down to peer at a bruise on his cheek, wondering if she should put a cold cloth on it. Suddenly the girl found herself holding her breath. She released the air in her lungs with a worried sigh and stood straight.

After one last look at the boy Akina carried herself up to her room, knowing that sleep would not come quickly.

* * *

Note- Pig's Tail (Buta no Shippo) is a Japanese card game.

Sorry for the long wait, dear readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter- now go ahead and move on to the next one to make the most of this double release!


	7. A Way to Fall In Love

Chapter Seven  
—_A Way to Fall In Love_—

"_You won't be staying here from now on"_

_"Katsura-san will be taking care of you starting today"_

"_You'll adjust to life in this town quickly, I'm sure"_

She'd heard all of it before. The girl blew a strand of hair out of her eyes as the car pulled into the driveway of a townhouse. They didn't want to keep her anymore. It was fine, though. It was _understandable_. She wasn't their child, and they loved her no more than she loved them.

The girl understood, but the sting in her chest said otherwise. She and the driver got out of the car once it was parked, each taking a piece of luggage from the back before making their way up to the doorstep. The door was opened in seconds. Apparently her new guardian had been expecting them. It was a woman, probably in her late twenties. She dressed business-like, her brown hair up in a neat ponytail as she looked at the man in her doorway, and then at the blue-eyed girl beside him.

"You can put her things by the step. Her room's almost ready, so she can carry them upstairs right away" she told the man, looking around as though to find something better to do then greet them.

"Thank you for taking her, Mihoshi. My wife and I have been so busy with the baby, it's been difficult to maintain our lifestyle…I really appreciate this"

"That's what sisters-in-laws are for, right?" Katsura Mihoshi's reply was brisk. "Let's get the papers sorted out"

"Yes, of course!" her brother-in-law agreed hastily. "You have a lunch meeting today, right?"

"That's right"

Setting down the suitcase in his grip, the man looked down at the long haired girl who had been silent until now. "You'll be able to manage carrying both upstairs, won't you?"

"Mm…" the fifteen-year-old nodded at the question. "…I'll be fine"

"Then…" after giving her an awkward pat on the head, the girl's former guardian removed his shoes and followed after his sister-in-law.

Taking both pieces of luggage into her hands, the fallow haired youth slipped out of her shoes and began shuffling towards the stairs that were in view. Her royal blue eyes scrunched at the effort that was needed. The suitcases were _heavy_.

For as long as she could remember, Akina had been living a life of being passed from one relative to another. Her mother had been mistress to a wealthy businessman, so the story went. She had died giving birth to their illegitimate child, however, and the father had wanted nothing to do with the newborn. In order to avoid a dispute the woman's sister had taken the baby girl instead, raising her until she was approximately seven. Then she went to live with her uncle.

After that, things were always changing. The school she went to and the faces she saw at home were the same for uncertain amounts of time. Her second cousin had been a newlywed when Akina went to live with him. Now their baby was giving them discord, and although the teenager had offered to assist them, the couple assured her that this was a far better solution.

Maybe it was.

The girl let out a heavy breath of air, setting down her luggage once she reached the top of the stairs. Spotting her room was easy enough- it was the one that didn't have sheets on the bed or curtains over the windows. The one with dust lining the dresser and blandly new paint on the walls. It was like this so she could build on it, and then take it apart with ease.

With a bit of struggling Akina dragged her luggage into the barren room, the bottoms of the suitcases drawing clean lines across the dusty floor as she pulled them along.

* * *

"This is Kidono Akina" the teacher introduced the girl in the familiar middle school uniform. "She moved to Domino city just recently, and will be in this class from now on. Let's all treat her well, shall we?"

In the back of the class, someone yawned loudly. The teacher glanced at where the bored noise had come from- a blonde boy had stretched himself out languidly where he sat, feet on his desk and arms behind his head. He didn't look the least bit worried as the teacher sent him a glare that said 'I'll get to you later'.

The educator cleared his throat. "Do you have anything you'd like to add, Kidono-san?"

"U-um…" Akina had no idea what the stutter was for. She had been in this situation so many times already, it was like some sort of unavoidable stage performance. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better from now on…" she bowed, the long hair she'd taken all morning to smooth out spilling over her shoulders.

Moments later she found her seat, and as her first class in this new school started, the other students' class continued on as usual.

Weeks went by at a slow pace. Katsura-san wasn't home very often, and when she was she was always doing something important. Akina wasn't sure if this was because she was there or if it had always been this way for the young woman, but from their meager conversations the teenager felt her guardian was naturally distant. School was slightly better- a few of the girls had come and introduced themselves, most of them sitting near her during class time. They were nice, but Akina found herself too worried over how long she would be living in Domino to make friends with them properly. It was always 'good morning', 'see you tomorrow' and nothing more.

It was long after Akina's transfer that something happened which drew her away from those timeless concerns. She had been walking up the flight of stairs she frequented with a can of strawberry-kiwi punch in hand, which the girl had bought to go along with her lunch. Today was different from the other days, though- there was someone lying down on the landing that connected to the second light of stairs, sunlight from the windows splashing across their unmoving body. It gave the boys' uniform they were wearing a lighter appearance and made the person's blonde hair even more striking.

She knew this boy- he was in her class, though his name was still a mystery to her. Akina saw no use in going out of her way to learn everyone's names unless she would be with them for a while. What she _had_ noticed was that this particular classmate was often absent, and seemed to get into trouble with the teacher a lot. He was most likely a problem student, and with that said, his reasons for lounging around in the stairwell shouldn't have been any interest to her. Even so, the long haired girl stepped onto the landing and shuffled towards the boy, his back to her and one arm tucked beneath his head.

Is he asleep, I wonder? The fallow haired schoolgirl wondered, peering down at him with curious blue eyes. Taking a breath, Akina's voice echoed faintly through the stairwell.

"Hello…I'm Kidono, the transfer student from your class. I don't mean to bother you, but I was wondering what you were doing…?" she hesitated asking, the girl's hand tightening on her can of juice nervously. He did not respond, and for some senseless reason she kept talking. "Most people don't sleep during lunch, so I thought it was a bit strange…I mean, people usually eat during lunch. I thought they did, at least…um…" looking down, the sun glinted off the tin can in her grasp. "…Do you not have a lunch…?"

The question hung in the air like laundry getting soaked by the rain. It was heavy, and it made her frown. About a minute passed by with the girl standing where she was and the boy not saying a word. Slowly, Akina knelt down and placed her strawberry-kiwi punch on the floor, the metal clinking softly on the fake marble flooring.

"I'll give you my juice" she told him, feeling a sense of accomplishment as she stood up. "It might be a bit too sweet, though…"

The girl started to make her way up the second flight of stairs, a chorus of footsteps flooding into her ears as a group of students walked up the first flight, stopping at the landing. They were talking, quiet and incoherent as their words echoed softly beneath the sound of her footwalls. Akina continued walking, her pace steady as she neared to the doors to the second floor of the school building. As she reached out to push them open a sharp clang rang through the stairwell, joined by the crunch of tin and the hissing of liquid. She froze, her royal blue eyes widening in shock as laughter bounced off the walls.

Akina dashed to the railing, throwing her eyes downwards. Amongst the group of laughing boys was the blonde from her class, a grin cutting across his features as he walked down the stairs with them. A crushed tin can lay shivering on the plateau between the two staircases, strawberry-kiwi punch dribbling down the wall where the drink had been smashed against it.

Reeling back on her heels, the girl pressed a hand to her chest as she felt a very misplaced sense of rejection.

* * *

"I was wondering…do you know anything about the person in our class with blonde hair?" Akina asked the next day during lunch hour, earning a few strange looks from the girls whom she ate with.

"You mean…Jonouchi?" one of them wondered, somewhat incredulously. "_Jonouchi Katsuya?_ Don't tell me you're interested in him!"

"Well…no…I mean…I was just curious about why he's absent so much…" the fallow haired girl didn't know if she'd call it being interested. She'd like to know why he thought it was funny to waste her juice.

"No, no!" another girl protested. "He's a delinquent, always getting into fights! There's no use asking about a guy like that"

"I mean, he has gotten a _little_ better since he became friends with Honda-kun last year-" the first classmate started.

"-But he's still far from anything likeable!" the second finished. "As long as he keeps hanging out with Hirutani and the rest of those jerks, he's one of them!"

"So," the two girls parroted one another. "Just forget him, Kidono-san!"

"A…ah…yeah, I'll do that" Akina placed a slice of picked radish in her mouth, chewing slowly.

"Hey, hey, isn't Maeba-kun hot, though?" one of them gushed.

"Oh, I know, right! Have you gotten a chance to see him yet, Kidono-san?!"

The fallow haired girl reluctantly swallowed. "Um…yeah…"

The rest of their conversation carried on much the same, with the pair of girls raving about the boys they thought were attractive and then verbally gauging the blue eyed girl for her thoughts on them, declaring that she should absolutely be interested in those types of guys. Akina couldn't muster up the will to tell them that she had no interest in such boys- that after being shuffled through so many different schools, she found no point in picking out good-looking boys to follow after. Instead she quietly agreed with their idolizing words, the opinions she gave out nothing more than an echo of her company.

For the rest of the week the schoolgirl really did try and do what her classmates told her to do and forget about the boy named Jonouchi Katsuya. He was a delinquent, and had no apparent qualities she could consider good. He skipped class and talked back to teachers and seemed to live off cheap cafeteria snacks. But _why?_ Why was he like that? Why would he be so cruel as to throw her strawberry-kiwi punch against the wall? She knew that the sweetness of the drink could be a little much for some people, but had it really been necessary?

Akina had nearly been able to toss aside those questioning thoughts. She had almost succeeded in convincing herself he was nothing more then a mean person who found it fun to meaninglessly destroy things. But then, in the very same stairwell that she had first spoken to him, that theory was proven wrong.

The girl had been in a rush, jogging down the stairs and skipping steps while she was at it. Her long fallow hair was obscuring her eyes when she reached the landing and pivoted on her feet. She had noticed a blurred figure in her peripheral vision as she leapt past them, but soon forgot about it when her foot touched the edge of the closest step and then slipped. Akina swallowed a scream, knowing what awaited her as gravity started to pull her downwards.

A hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her back, snapping the girl out of falling. Now she was stumbling backwards, and just as Akina was sure she would end up tripping over her own feet the pulling stopped. The long haired girl steadied herself, opening her eyes after realizing they had been squeezed shut. She was then looking up at Jonouchi Katsuya, his eyes meeting hers with an unreadable stare.

Suddenly, all the questions she had been trying to do away with came flooding back, along with new thoughts that sang louder than the rest. He helped me. He saved me. He cared about me enough to catch me.

_Jonouchi Katsuya is a good person._

Swallowing inaudibly, Kidono Akina found herself staring into the blonde's eyes- which were brown- for an uncomfortable length of time, neither of them saying anything. It was him who broke the silence, a smirk on his face as he spoke.

"Running on the stairs is dangerous" Katsuya said to her. "If you're gonna fall, it's best to fall _upwards_"

And with one quick tug on her wrist, Akina was doing just that. She landed ungracefully on her stomach, the edge of the steps knocking the wind out of her. Mustering up the strength to move, she shifted onto her knees and looked over her shoulder at the fair haired boy, who had continued to make his way down the stairs. When reaching the bottom, he glanced up at her momentarily and let out a faint chuckle.

"Nice panties, transfer student" Jonouchi said while walking out of sight.

"P…panties?" Kidono echoed, the new sense of confusion adding onto the bafflement she was feeling over what had just happened. Then she noticed how she was posed, and how short her skirt suddenly seemed.

Akina felt a mild thrill run through her with the knowledge that she had just flashed a member of the opposite sex, which encouraged the already rapid beating of her heart.

* * *

"Um, sensei…" the long haired girl approached her teacher hesitantly. "Soon it will be time to collect our career plan sheets, won't it? I…I was wondering if I could do that for you"

The teacher adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. "Hm…well, we usually have the class representative do that…but it seems you're finally taking an interest in your class- I'm glad to hear it. Pleased collect them neatly, Kidono-san"

Akina bowed and thanked him sincerely. When the time came to collect the career sheets from all her classmates she did it as neatly as possible, careful not to make creases in the paper as she flicked through them. "So this is what a class representative does?" she wondered aloud, not hating the work.

The girl was checking to see if she had missed anyone, along with one other thing. She paused as her eyes trailed over a particular name written out in a messy, careless fashion. She scanned over the sheet of paper, biting her lip as the information before her sunk in. Then Kidono continued on, finding that all the student's career plan sheets had been handed in. Straightening the papers out gently, she placed them on the desk at the front of the classroom and went home.

The next day, the girl arrived at school prepared. She had thought long and hard on what she meant to do at this point. She _was_ interested in him- that much she could admit. The girl wasn't expecting anything to come of it, of course. She might leave on any given day. But if she could help him in any way- steer him onto a better path- then he would be happier because of it, and he wouldn't have to crush cans of juice that he might rather drink.

Even if he doesn't even remember me when I leave, Akina thought as she approached the menacing looking group of delinquents, that's okay.

"Excuse me," she started, pausing only briefly when a few of them looked towards her. "I'd like to talk to Jonouchi-kun for a minute"

"What, you want to confess or something?" one of them snickered.

"Answer's 'no'" she heard the blonde say before she spotted him leaning against the wall. "Get lost"

Akina frowned, twisting her fingers nervously behind her back. No! Her hands clenched into fists. Don't shy away!

"Like I'd come here to do that!" she hear herself scoff, shifting her arms so they were now crossed over her chest. "I'm only asking for five minutes! Don't tell me you're scared to be alone with a girl for five minutes?"

Her baiting worked. Jonouchi pushed himself away from the wall and walked towards Kidono quicker then she expected, grabbing her by the arm. He kept walking, pulling her around the corner and down the hall far enough to be sure no one would hear them talking.

The blonde threw her arm down in an irritated and perhaps even embarrassed fashion. "_What?_" he demanded, sounding more awkward then angry.

"Um…" now that she had gotten him away from his friends, she wasn't sure what to say. It had all been carefully rehearsed in her head, but she suddenly felt like she'd lost her script. "Well I…I saw on your career plan sheet that you've decided to go to Rintama-"

"_That's_ what we're talking about?" the boy cut in, throwing his hands in the air. "Forget it- I don't have time for this!"

Akina panicked when he spun on heel, grabbing onto the back of his uniform tightly. Her shoes squeaked noisily on the floor as she was pulled along, and Jonouchi soon stopped to pry her fingers off of him.

"Would you let go already?!" Katsuya snapped.

"P-please just listen calmly" she stuttered. "Like I promised, I only want five minutes!"

"Fine, _whatever_, just let go!" the boy insisted, slapping her hands away when she finally uncurled her fingers. "Now hurry it up, transfer student!"

"All I wanted to say was that Domino would be a better choice for you" the girl sighed, tucking her hands behind her back to hide how they trembled.

"And what makes you think that?" he asked snidely, straightening his uniform jacket.

"Because…" Akina faltered, searching her mind for the reason. "Because you seem like a person who does good with learning things hands-on, and Domino has a lot of good classes for that. Plus you look athletic, and there's a good sports program…also, if you went to Rintama you might have to take a bus to get to that district…it would be easier overall"

Jonouchi appeared to think about this for a moment. The consideration quickly drained from his expression and he eyed her suspiciously. "Here's a new question. _Why the hell do you care?_"

The girl was without words for a moment, only able to find them when she looked at her shoes. "That's…you caught me on the stairs the other day….I'm really grateful, so…I just…" she trailed off as Katsuya laughed.

"Are you an idiot?" the blonde asked, appearing to be genuinely amused at her reasoning. "So I wanted to mess around with the new student! So what? I can't believe you seriously thought I did it to be nice!" then the laugher died and a cold look settled in his eyes. "Don't bother giving gratitude to _me_, transfer student. It's unwanted and unneeded- I'm a bad guy, so I think I'll stick with other bad guys"

He turned to leave. Akina bit her lip hard, and then made one last-ditch effort to change the boy's mind.

"How about a different reason, then…?" she murmured, not looking up to even see if he had stopped to listen. "One that…doesn't involve any of those things?"

"…Let's hear it"

She smiled weakly in knowing he was still there. Then her cheeks flushed and the girl almost wished he wasn't. Sucking in a breath of air, Akina forced herself to look at him. "You'd look better in Domino's uniform"

Jonouchi returned her stare seriously for a moment before he took a step back, looking dumbstruck. "W…what?" he tried.

"The Rintama uniforms are ugly" Kidono said firmly. "You'd look a lot cooler in blue. Well- that's just a matter of opinion, of course…" she turned away from him and began walking down the hall. "But a reason is a reason. See you in class, Jonouchi-kun"

* * *

"Hey…" it was a rare lunch hour during which Jonouchi had sneaked away from Hirutani and his gang to hang out with his most recently gained friend, Honda Hiroto. "How do you think I'd look in blue?"

The brown haired boy shot him a questioning glance before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Jonouchi…I have to say that I simply don't feel that way about yo-" he stopped talking when a book hit his head.

"_Shut up_, you _idiot!_" Jonouchi shouted. "You know I didn't mean it like that!"

Honda rubbed his abused cranium, glancing down at the weapon that has struck him. Intrigued, he bent down and picked it up, much to his friend's silent horror.

"A Domino high school information booklet? But I thought you were going to Rintama"

"I am!" Katsuya retorted. "I mean- I _probably_ am, but I was thinking Domino's uniforms are pretty cool so I'd maybe check it out…" he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"J…Jonouchi…" the blonde watched as the other junior high school student's eyes became watery. "You say that, but…you really just want to go to the same high school as me, right? I'm right!"

"What? No, I didn't say that!" Jonouchi protested.

"But that's what you _meant!_" Hiroto insisted.

Katsuya punched him when the brunette attempted a hug.

* * *

Wow! I did Akina's past arc all in one chapter. I'm happy with myself. And I bet you're all happy too! I mean, an OC story that focuses on their OC's background for only one chapter?! Hahaha. My favorite part was, of course, the ending XD. After doing Akina's pov for a whole chapter, switching over to Jonouchi was quite a relief, even if it was only for a second.

So, just to mention things that weren't super clear within the chapter- Akina moved to Domino halfway through her last year of junior high school. She talked to Jonouchi when there was about a quarter of the year left. They didn't have any interaction after that, and the next time they met- in Jonouchi's second year at Domino high- Akina had changed herself (or at least her outer self) into the class representative he knows now. Her present time persona smothers what he may have thought of her before, and so he can't really recall much of Akina from junior high- in fact, it might be safe to say he even considers them two different people! Transfer student and class rep.

I had trouble writing a meaner Jonouchi. It hurt me T.T. And just fyi, I fall up stairs all the time! Haha! But strangely, I never fall down them…and that's about all I have to say! If you have any questions, complaints or words of praise, feel free to tell me in a review! Overall, I hope you enjoyed this two-chapter release.


	8. Between Dark and Dawn

Chapter Eight  
—_Between Dark and Dawn_—

"_Hey, Jonouchi! You had enough money to buy something today?"_

_The noise of footsteps died down, and he dragged himself up from where he lay on the plateau, staring at the tin can resting beside him. Katsuya kept his head low to his the expression on his face as one of Hirutani's boy's eyed it as well._

"_Strawberry-kiwi? Hah! That's a pretty girly flavor, ain't it?"the other teenager jived._

_Jonouchi forced himself to scoff, grabbing the can tightly. "What, this? I'm not gonna drink it, dumbass"_

"_Then what's it for?"_

_Getting to his feet, the blonde could see a figure at the top of the second flight of stairs, slowly disappearing from sight. Gritting his teeth, Katsuya slammed the can of juice against the wall and watched it burst._

"_Making a mess, of course" he muttered beneath the amusement of the crowed, shaking his hand lightly as the sweet pinkish liquid stuck to his fingers. It was a fruity, nectarous drink that made him cringe- an unpleasant combination of two otherwise likeable fruits. _

_But…_

_The boy stared down at his slickened palm, a confused frown settling on his face._

…_it smells like miso soup…_

Jonouchi awoke with a tingling nose, sleep and nostalgia lingering on the edge of his consciousness. Slowly his eyes skimmed across ceiling and down the wall, following a mysterious trail of steam through the air until his gaze settled on the coffee table. An arrangement of dishes that piqued the boy's interest had been placed there. He began to sit up, only to feel a surprising spark of pain run up his leg. Katsuya froze, his arms tensed to hold himself where he was. The teenager carefully touched where the pain had originated from, his fingers brushing over the gauze that covered his wounded calve.

Sighing, the blonde let himself sink downwards again, but not before stealing a glance at what had been placed on the coffee table. A glass of water, a bowl of rice, and miso soup.

"…It was put there pretty recently, right…?" Jonouchi muttered, staring at the food that seemed so close and yet so far away. Moving was so tiring right now. "Kidono should still be here, then…"

After glancing around a little and noting that the class representative was nowhere to be seen, Jonouchi decided to give sitting up another go. He was successful this time, and after settling in an upright position he retched for the bowl of miso carefully. The bowl was warm and the soup was hot, almost burning him as he took a slow sip of the broth.

"Ah!"

The blonde looked up after hearing the exclamation, almost spitting out the hot liquid in his mouth. Instead he forced himself to swallow, feeling it scald his throat as Akina approached him while wearing nothing but a towel.

"Did you just wake up?" the towel-clad girl wondered, running a hand through her short wet hair when Jonouchi nodded. "Sorry, I was in the shower. Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"Um…g-good, I guess…" Katsuya held the bowl of soup closer to his face, trying to hide from the image of her bare legs. He'd gotten too used to seeing her in full-length stockings within the past few weeks.

"That's great!" the blue eyed girl chirped, sounding uncharacteristically happy. "Take your time with breakfast, then- I'm going to go get dressed!"

When Kidono disappeared up the stairs, Jonouchi waited until he could no longer hear the damp pitter-patter of her footsteps before setting the miso soup aside. Reaching for the bowl of rice and the set of chopsticks resting beside it, the blonde fumbled with the eating utensils a little before getting a proper grasp of them. Sighing heavily, he felt his face flush and told himself it was because of the steam.

The boy calmed down after eating a few bites of rice, chewing the white grains thoughtfully as he glanced around the pristine living area he was surrounded by.

Come to think of it, where's her parents? Jonouchi wondered, resting the bowl on his lap as he thought on this. I should probably leave before they get home...

At that thought the blonde remembered what day it was and gave his bandaged leg a worrisome look. "Like this, I don't think I can make it…"

Setting his bowl of rice down on the coffee table, Katsuya pushed aside the blanket strewn over his lap and moved to stand up, stopping short when he recalled his lack of clothes. Looking to where he had put them the last night, the boy was disgruntled to find they were not there.

"Don't steal my clothes while I'm asleep!" he complained to the girl who was not present to listen.

* * *

Akina made a small noise of approval as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, admiring her pristine white halter top and tight-fitting jeans. The outfit was simple enough to pass as casual, every-day street clothes, but nice enough to earn attention.

The girl combed her fingers through her hair as she exited her room and headed for the stairs. All she needed to do now was dry it, and then she could figure out how to handle Jonouchi-kun's presence. Katsura-san wouldn't be home until the evening, but even then, it felt like making him leave within that span of time would be too rushing.

Maybe it would be alright…

Akina stopped at the bottom of the stairs, glancing over to where her guest was seated. To her surprise, he had yet to notice her, and appeared to be deep in thought as he stared at the half-empty bowls of food she had prepared for him. Frowning, the fallow haired girl moved to stand opposite to him.

"What's this?" she questioned, her words appearing to have snapped Jonouchi out of his revere as he looked up. "You didn't finish. Did you lose your appetite, Jonouchi-kun?"

It was silent for a few minutes, the class representative patiently awaiting an answer. At last her classmate seemed ready to give a response, meeting her eyes for a moment before dropping his gaze downwards.

"…I have another favor I need to ask" Jonouchi started, sounding reluctant. "There's a place I have to go today, but I need help walking"

Akina followed the boy's eyes to the floor, surprised with how downcast he seemed. "W-well, I'd be neglecting my duties if I said no…!" the girl mumbled with haste, not sure how to improve his mood. "Where do you want to go?"

Her classmate was quiet for a moment, lifting a hand to run it thought his hair. "The…hospital…" he murmured, almost whispering his reply.

The reason behind his meek answer was clear as Akina's expression went from tolerant to vehement in a split second.

"You have to be kidding!" she cried, flinging a hand through the air as another settled firmly on her hip. "Last night, that was the_ last_ place you wanted to be, and after I've gone through all the trouble and effort to patch you up, _now_ you want to go?!" throwing a demanding glare at the boy, the class representative awaited her fellow student's response.

"Its not-" Katsuya paused awkwardly. "It's not the Domino hospital I have to go to. It's the one in the next town…that's where my little sister is staying"

The two of them feel into silence, Akina's anger melting away as she took a small step backwards. "Little sister?" she echoed, her brow knitting together. _I misunderstood_...

"It's her birthday today" the fair haired boy explained. "Sometimes I can't afford to buy her presents, but I've always managed to at least pay her a visit..."

Her birthday. Repeating his words in her head, the blue eyed girl felt her stomach twist oddly. After I was so happy to have someone visit me on _my_ birthday…to not let him visit his little sister…

"Well!" Kidono crossed her arms as she forced herself to stay composed. "You can't stop now just because of a few injuries! I'll make sure you arrive at the hospital well within visiting hours!"

Despite the strict and authoritative nature of her words, Katsuya still managed to smile at her. "I owe you one, class rep"

"Y-You should have a doctor take a look at you too, you know!" she stuttered, trying hard to ignore the warmth spreading across her cheeks.

Jonouchi's grin was quickly dropped for a frown. "I already said I don't want to"

"It's just a suggestion!" the girl huffed, turning to head towards the bathroom.

"Hey, wait a sec!" the boy exclaimed. "I forgot to say something!"

Pausing, Akina looked over her shoulder at him curiously.

"I want my clothes back!"

Expectations unmet, the girl let her irritation show. "But I was just about to dry my hair..." she gave her damp locks a bothered tug while heading out of the living area. "It'll only take a few minutes"

"Can I at least have my pants?!" the blonde whined after her.

Akina let out a loud sigh, walking past her original destination to stop at the laundry room. Flicking a switch on the wall, the small area was illuminated. The girl opened up the drier and began digging, pulling out the single pair of men's jeans amongst her feminine clothing.

"They seem dry enough" she mumbled, running her hands along the faded material to search for damp spots. Her nail snagged on a tear near the bottom of one pant leg, making the girl pull her hand away. Inspecting her fingernail carefully, Kidono decided there was no damage done and turn her attention to the flaw in the jeans instead.

A small hole interrupted the otherwise smooth flow of denim, earning the blue eyed girl's scrutiny. It was wide enough for only her pinky finger to fit through, and after testing this out Akina was surprised to see the digit poke out through yet another hole of the same size. Wriggling her finger a little, the girl held the pair of pants closer to her face. It was the same area she had gotten the blood stains out of earlier. To have two holes aligned like this, there wasn't a doubt in the class representative's mind that it had something to do with the injury that Jonouchi had refused to explain the origins of.

After several minutes of hard thinking and observation of the damaged material, the fallow haired girl took a seat on one of the laundry baskets nearby and rested her head in her palm.

* * *

An hour or two after Katsuya had his clothes returned to him and the faint sound of a blow-dryer had ceased, the class representative and delinquent student set out towards the train station. As they were leaving the premises, Jonouchi caught a glimpse of the family nameplate fastened beside the door and was confused.

His class representative's name was Kidono, but engraved on the metallic plate were the characters for Katsura.

Although he had planned to ask about it, the minor detail was soon forgotten as they walked along at a steady pace. Like the other times he had accompanied this girl somewhere, the air around them was void of all conversation. The sound of their shoes dragging along filled his ears, and Jonouchi found himself staring at the cars that drove by to distract himself.

They eventually made it to their first destination, where Akina demanded to pay the fair for riding the train. He would have argued about it, but he had no money on him, so there was little ground for debate. Taking a seat in one of the less crowded compartments, Akina busied herself with reading what looked like a small studying booklet while Katsuya was left with his thoughts.

The situation with the dept collectors seemed to have worsened, but knowing that he would be seeing Shizuka's cheerful smile soon filled Jonouchi with a happiness that dulled the pain in his leg. Even if bad things were waiting at home, at least he had made it this far. The blonde glanced at the girl seated beside him, feeling good about whatever expression was on his face at that moment.

Akina seemed to sense his eyes on her and tilted her head towards him, the sun shining through the windows dyeing the girl's skin a bright white. "What is it?" she asked after a moment of exchanging looks with each other.

Katsuya didn't reply to her inquiry. Instead the boy tucked his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, grinning.

"…You're being weird" Kidono muttered, turning a page in her booklet.

It was long past noon when they arrived at his sister's hospital, and Jonouchi could feel his heart pounding with excitement as he limped up to the reception desk, Kidono right behind him.

"Hi!" he breathed, putting his hands on the counter for support. "I'm here to visit my sister- Kawai Shizuka?"

There was a trace of recognition on the receptionist's face as she turned to check the patient listings. An unexpected look of worry crossed the woman's face before she gave her head a light shake.

"I'm sorry, but you can't visit her at the moment"

"What? I'm her brother, of course I can see her!" the blonde argued.

Akina soon joined him, leaning over the desk slightly. "We came all the way here from Domino just to see her" she pressed. "I know visiting hours are still open!"

"No, that isn't what I mean…" the older woman looked truly apologetic as she spoke. "Kawai-san's condition worsened drastically this morning, and she was moved to the emergency ward. Until she's stable, she isn't allowed visitors"

Katsuya felt a sickening jolt of shock run through him that made his legs go weak. A tiny gasp sounded from the girl beside him, and the boy wished he could give as much of a response. Instead he remained where he was, stiff and yet feeling as though he would collapse at any moment.

"Why...didn't I hear about this sooner?" he managed, digging his nails into the wood of the reception desk to keep himself standing.

"Her doctor tried calling your home phone and left several messages. Did you not get them?"

No, of course he hadn't. He hadn't even been home- and it was more than likely his father had no idea either.

"What about mom?" Jonouchi lifted his head a little. "Does Shizuka's mother know she's gotten worse?"

"Um…" the receptionist flipped through some papers, scanning the information printed on them. "The secretary at her office said that she was away on a business trip and would be back next week"

"Damn it…" the boy took a slow step backwards from the counter, vaguely feeling the pressure of Akina's hand on his back. "Why…"

"If you'd like, you're welcome to stay in the lobby" the woman offered. "We'll let you know when she can be visited"

In a haze of disbelief Katsuya allowed his class representative guide him to the waiting area, where he sat down and silently cursed everything that was going wrong in his life.

* * *

Tada! I give you chapter eight of CaF! Just when Katsuya thinks things are looking up, I throw him back down again! Jeez! I'm not a sadist, I swear! The story makes itself, I just type it out…

Anyways. I updated about a million times faster than last time (although that WAS a double release, so maybe that made up for the slowness) so I hope it was a pleasing chapter for you all. Not much happened, just some slow development of the little things.

Not much else to say- I look forward to seeing everyone next update.


	9. Confessions I

Chapter Nine  
—_Confessions I_—

Akina approached the line of chairs slowly, staring at her warped reflection in the polished floor to avoid looking at the blonde haired boy who was in one of the seats. She reached him all too soon, the girl stopping a few feet from him to ensure that only her shoes were visible from where his head hung. Kidono wasn't sure what sort of expression she had on now- she felt very unsightly on the inside, though.

In both her hands was a tin can, coffee inside them both. A second or two passed by before she held one out to her classmate, hoping he would accept it.

"Here" she told him. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I just got you the same thing as me"

Jonouchi didn't take it. He didn't even look like he realized she was there, let alone that she was offering him a drink. Feeling her confidence starting to dwindle, Akina stepped a tiny bit closer and held the can directly in his line of sight.

"Take it!" the girl urged, the hand that was holding the drink starting to shake. "I-it's hot, you know…!"

While trying to fake the sniffle that emitted from her as a sigh, the girl set down her own can and used her freed hand to take hold of Jonouchi's, pressing the boy's palms against the can that was intended for him. Akina waited for his fingers to curl beneath hers, wanting him to grasp the drink with his own strength. To her frustration Katsuya's hands remained motionless, even as she squeezed down on them hard enough to dent the tin object.

Kidono stared down at the sullen teenager and watched the world blur.

A loud clang echoed through the air as the can of coffee fell to their feet. The girl's hands came to rest on the blonde's shoulders, pulling him forward slowly. The embarrassment she might have felt with his shaggy bangs brushing against her chest was forgotten with the stinging of her eyes. At last Katsuya gave her a sign of life and lifted his head ever so slightly, maybe to avoid the swell of her breasts. The fallow haired girl tightened her hold, feeling distantly happy when her classmate made a faint noise of discomfort. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of something to say to him now.

"You cryin', class rep…?" Jonouchi asked with a tone that was too close to being apathetic.

"Why would I be crying?" she demanded, shamefully aware of the teardrops falling from her lashes. "You're the one who's in a bad situation, you know!"

Despite Kidono's words, she was shaking. The sky outside was dimming- they had been waiting in the lobby for almost two hours, and had yet to hear of any changes in the condition of Jonouchi's sister. In hopes of improving his mood Akina had left to buy him a drink from one of the nearby vending machines, but her attempt had been a failure. All the girl had managed to do was make herself upset.

At least she could keep Jonouchi-kun some company in sadness…

"What's one hundred and ten thousand times five?"

…Huh?

The sudden and out-of-place question made Akina blink away her tears. "Wha… one hundred and ten…? T-that's…five hundred and fifty thousand, but…" she peeked down at him. "Can you not do simple math like that, Jonouchi-kun? H-honestly, that's really bad…!"

"Debt collectors" he muttered.

The blue eyed girl furrowed her brow. "Debt collectors…?" she repeated cautiously.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand yen. That's… around how much money my old man owes them" Jonouchi told her, his voice steadily gaining more life to it. "You've helped me this much, so you might as well know why I'm in trouble. Just don't tell Yuugi or my other friends, alright? I…don't want them to worry…"

The girl was silent for a moment, trying hard to grasp what she was being told. This was serious. So very, very serious, and now she couldn't picture the carefree grins he had been wearing to school the past couple of months as being real anymore. "…You keep such a big thing hidden from your friends…" she murmured, forgetting that she was holding him. "But then you come to _me_ for help? Even though you…you hate it when I pry…"

She felt the boy give a small shrug. "Making you worry didn't seem as bad as making them worry. I mean, you worry over everything anyways. Stupid things"

"School isn't stupid…!" the class representative tried.

There was another moment of silence as Kidono felt her tears return. "Sorry" Katsuya murmured as drops of salty water fell onto his shoulder. "I was wrong about it not being as bad"

Letting her knees bend, the girl pulled her classmate into a proper hug. "Just cheer up" she insisted. "I won't let go until you do"

"Alright…I might end up groping you if I get really emotional, though" the blonde warned her.

"I'll forgive you" Akina heard herself laugh.

* * *

The nurse sighed softly as she glanced at Kawai Shizuka's patient monitor. The girl had experienced a sudden onset of malignant hypertension, and after receiving treatment some hours earlier she was well into recovery. So far, it seemed that the doctors had managed to bring her heart rate down quickly enough to avoid permanent damage to her kidneys, and there wasn't any sign of metal deterioration, although they wouldn't be able to tell for sure until the patient awoke.

The woman stepped out of the sleeping patient's room and shut the door, holding a clipboard to her chest as she made her way down the hall. Visitors had come to see Kawai-san in the afternoon, and were no doubt waiting anxiously for an update on the girl's condition. Although still asleep, the nurse saw no harm in letting them know she was stable. As long as the girl didn't start showing signs of declining again, a visit would even be acceptable.

From what she had been told, one of the visitors was Jonouchi Katsuya, the patient's older brother. The other person was a girl of unknown relations. A friend, perhaps?

She spotted the pair sitting together in the lobby and started to walk towards them, observing the two teenagers as she approached. Shizuka's brother was rubbing a hand against the right side of his face as though it pained him. In his other hand, there was an opened can of coffee. His companion lifted a can of her own to her lips, swallowing a gulp of the warm liquid in an angry fashion.

"You said you'd forgive me" the boy grumbled.

"That's because I thought you were joking!" snapped the fallow haired girl.

The nurse smiled a little as she stopped in front of the two. "Excuse me," she started, getting their attention. "You're visitors for Kawai-san, aren't you?"

The schoolgirl nodded as the boy beside her looked like he wanted to leap to his feet. "Is Shizuka going to be okay?" he blurted questioningly.

"She's stable now, and has been improving steadily" the nurse replied, smiling again as she watched the blonde's eyes flood with relief. "She's still asleep, but I can check with the doctor about visiting if you'd still like to see her"

His smile seemed to illuminate the girl he was with along with himself. "Of course!"

"I'll be back in a few minutes, then..." giving a light bow to the both of them, she headed off to find the patient's attending physician.

Jonouchi watched the nurse as she went, sinking back into his seat with a relieved sigh. It was great news- really great. Just knowing that his little sister was okay made everything so much better. The only thing he was bothered by now was the slap in the face he had received a few minutes earlier.

He'd barely even _touched_ her. The boy's hand hadn't made it past the back pocket of her jeans before she freaked out.

Katsuya gave the girl an unimpressed glance as he reminded himself of this. It wasn't like he actually wanted to grab her inappropriately. After being pressed against her for so long, having a few stray thoughts cross his mind was inevitable, but it would have been the same for anyone his age. On any other day, he never would've thought about trying anything, and certainly not with such a vicious girl- but a very short time ago, the girl who was supposedly so vicious had been crying. What she was crying over wasn't clear, but Jonouchi knew that it was more or less his fault, and he hated that. Making a girl cry was the worst thing a guy could do- if he had learned anything from watching his dad, it was this.

He had to think of a way to get her back to her old self, but the blonde wasn't convinced that smiling and telling her he was all better would work- so when the boy moved an arm up with the intent of possibly returning her hug, a different idea came to him. He didn't know how to make her feel better, but did he know how to make her angry enough to forget about crying.

Her reaction was just like he'd expected. The second Jonouchi's fingers came into contact with the hem of her pants, Akina went stiff. She jerked backwards, her face red for various reasons. The girl's gaping mouth twisted into a snarl, and for the very first time that he had known her, the fallow haired girl put her anger into a physical form. Although she was bossy and prudent, Kidono had never displayed any violent tendencies. He had honestly been hoping for the girl to honor her promise and forgive him, but reprimanding him verbally simply wouldn't do, and so Akina's palm met Katsuya's face to tell the boy that she wanted him to reflect on his misbehavior.

The blonde took a long, slow sip of his coffee in memory of the recent event. His face hurt, but she definitely wasn't crying now, so overall the pain was probably worth it. Beside him, Akina had emptied her own can and was now crushing it down into a more compact form. Regardless of whether this was an act of ventilation or something she did normally, the air was noticeably lighter once she returned from throwing it in the nearest recycling bin.

The fallow haired girl looked at him as she reclaimed her seat. She wasn't quite smiling, but the angry expression from earlier was nowhere to be seen. "I hope they let us visit" she said lightheartedly.

Jonouchi grinned tentatively at the unexpected words. "…Yeah. Me too"

A rustle of white and clicking heels made the blonde look up. The nurse from before had returned, hopefully with good news.

"I've just finished speaking with the doctor," the woman informed them, "and it seems Kawai-san's condition is well enough for you to come and see her, Jonouchi-san"

"Really? That's great!" Jonouchi got to his feet excitedly, Akina following after quickly so that his arm could come to rest on her shoulders. "Has she been taken back to her room yet?"

"Wait, please"

The nurse held a hand out for them to stop. Katsuya was surprised to find the woman giving his class representative an apprehensive stare and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?" he wanted to know.

"Jonouchi-san is allowed to visit, but only because he is a family member" the nurse replied, although she was mostly speaking to Kidono. "What is your relation to the patient, miss?"

"Well…" the blue eyed girl looked lost. "There's…no particular relation…"

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to wait here" the white-clad woman told her.

Jonouchi gave his classmate a discreetly panicked look. There was no way he could hide his limp while walking freely, and without Akina's help there was a possibility of hurting himself further. He'd bleed through. Someone would notice and insist on taking a look. Akina hadn't been able to identify the cause of his injury, but as professional providers of medical care, the hospital employees would. They would recognize that he was shot. They would demand to know why he hadn't come immediately, and how it had happened. The police would be contacted. Worst of all, Shizuka would know everything.

This scenario would become an inevitable outcome unless he managed to convince the nurse to let Kidono go with him.

"Are…are you sure she can't come too? I mean, she's-" Jonouchi stole another glance at Akina, who was looking pensive, and then squeezed her shoulder tightly. "She's my girlfriend" he dared to try. "I would really appreciate it if she could be there…for support, you know?"

"Girlfriend?" the nurse echoed questioningly. "Well…even if that is the case…"

The blonde's insides lurched when he felt a foot slide overtop of his own. Kidono then proceeded to grind her heel against his toes, an action that went unnoticed by the woman in front of them. Considering she had never even flicked him on the forehead before today, his class representative now seemed overly eager to hurt him.

Katsuya grinned through the pain. "Please? It'd really mean a lot to us- right, _Akina?_" he gave the class rep a light shake to try and jiggle some cooperation out of her. For a second she didn't say anything, and Jonouchi was sure she was intending to put an end to his charade right then and there.

After tucking an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear to mask the transition from suppressed anger to fake feelings, Akina's disappointed expression was a convincing one. "Can I really not go with Katsuya-kun?"

The nurse wore a frown of an undecided sort, and a minute of internal struggle went by before she let out a sigh. "Just this once, okay? I won't make this exception again…!"

"Alright!" Jonouchi exclaimed with honest cheer. "You're the best! I seriously can't thank you enough!"

"Yes…well…please follow me, then" the woman instructed reluctantly.

Katsuya and his class representative began walking after the white-clad figure as she led them through the halls. "What a relief!" the blonde laughed to himself, wiping away a bit of sweat with one hand before looking at the girl that was supporting him. "That was a close one, huh?"

"Who's your _girlfriend?_" was Akina's deadpan response.

Oh. Right.

He'd forgotten about that.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" the boy demanded. "If you had just lied and said you were a cousin or something, then I wouldn't have had to come up with such a stupid scenario!"

The girl flung her head to the side, away from him. "Not everyone is so comfortable with lying"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The woman they were following looked back at them when his voice grew loud enough to reach her ears. "Is something the matter?" she wondered.

Jonouchi and Kidono shook their heads simultaneously.

* * *

The girl had been sleeping up until a few minutes ago, and opened her eyes to find that she felt much better in comparison to the last time she recalled being conscious. The doctor had yet to visit, but she supposed it was only a matter of time before he made his rounds again. There was a nurse who usually kept an eye on her, but she was also absent- was the woman on her lunch break? It was a curious thing, but nothing to cause concern for the bedridden girl, because she really was feeling quite well, although she was having trouble shaking off her drowsiness.

There was a knock at her door, making Shizuka glance up from where she had been staring at her slightly blurred hands. The nurse she had just been pondering the whereabouts of poked her head into the room and spotted the girl sitting upright. "Oh, Kawai-san, you're awake?"

Shizuka gave her a frail smile. "Yes…but I only woke up just now" she admitted.

Her caretaker smiled back. "There are some visitors here for you. Would you like to have them come in, or should I ask them to let you rest?"

The pink haired girl considered this for a moment. "Who is it?"

"Your brother" the nurse told her. "He brought his girlfriend along as well"

Shizuka could not stop here eyes from widening. "Girlfriend?" she echoed, surprise overtaking her features.

The woman at the doorway did not overlook her reaction. "Oh, you haven't met her yet, Kawai-san?" raising a hand to her mouth, she seemed to realize something. "Was he was planning on surprising you? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…!"

The middle school student waited for the shock to fade before giving another gentle smile. "That's alright" she assured her. "I'd love to see them"

Nodding, the nurse stepped away from the threshold in order to fetch her two visitors. The door was left open, giving the girl a meager view of the hallway. This was of no interest to her, though- there were much bigger things on her mind than the newly waxed floor tiles.

A girlfriend! Her big brother had a girlfriend? This really _was_ a surprise. As his little sister, there was no doubt in Shizuka's mind that Katsuya was a sweet and loving person, but from their usual conversations it sounded like the girls at his school didn't share her enthusiasm. For him to suddenly get a girlfriend…it was just a little bit hard to believe. At the same time Shizuka was happy for this sudden development, fiddling with her sheets giddily as she waited for her brother and his significant other to make an appearance.

"Happy birthday, Shizuka!"

At the sound of her brother's voice, the girl's eyes darted over to the entrance. Shizuka beamed at the sight of the blonde teenager who was now standing there, a hand gripping the doorframer.

"Hello!" the pink haired girl greeted cheerfully. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I'm sorry, Shizuka!" Katsuya apologized, imitating a praying gesture with his hand while the other refused to leave the framing. "Your big brother has been so busy that he couldn't come for a visit until now!"

Shizuka giggled at his antics. "That's okay- I'm happy you're here now"

Her brother grinned, only to have let it waver for a moment. "But I hear you haven't been doing so well lately. Are you really healthy enough to be having visitors?"

The pinkette nodded her head vigorously, determined to ease the boy of his worries. "I'm feeling great! The staff here is wonderful"

"Really?" the blonde appeared to relax some as his grin returned. "That's good…!"

It took several blinks for Shizuka to see that there was another person standing near the door, though they were partially hidden by her brother's figure. It was _her_, she realized- the girlfriend. For an older girl she was of an average build in both height and width, with short-cut fallow hair brushing along her neck. Even with the slight blur that her vision was being filtered through, Shizuka could see that this girl was not unattractive. She was cute, although the middle school student knew that her view of 'cute' was probably very different from that of a high school boy's.

Their eyes met. The fallow haired girl stiffened upon noticing that she was being observed, glancing at the blonde boy she was with before slipping out of view.

Katsuya was the last one to take notice of what his little sister was staring at, looking over at where the other girl had hidden herself before rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, right" he started. "Shizuka, this is-"

"Your girlfriend!" the younger sibling cut in, smiling excitedly as she did so.

Shizuka had been expecting her brother to blush or give a silly grin, but instead his expression was exactly the same as the one she had put on several minutes ago- wide eyes and an open mouth. He might not have been expecting her to know about it already, but even so, this sort of reaction was strange.

"Ah-" the boy looked like he was trying to think of something. "Aaahaha, yeah, that's right!" finally releasing his hold on the doorframe, Katsuya then threw his arm around his companion so that he could pull her into the room with him. "She's my girlfriend alright! How'd you know?"

"Yoshikawa-san told me"

Nurse Yoshikawa was currently hovering near the doorway as she read over some files. Although she must have intended to look immersed in her work, it was clear that she was standing in that location so she could listen in on what might end up being an exciting first meeting between a patient and their sibling's girlfriend.

"Aah, that nurse did? I see, I see!"

A round of awkward laughter had Shizuka tilting her head. Was he that disappointed with having her find out beforehand, or was there another reason for his discomfort? Doing her best not to mind how strained her brother's grin seemed to be, the pink haired girl let out a small chuckle. The girl that had come in with him was nothing short of silent. It was strange. Katsuya had his arm around her shoulders, and they were claiming to be dating, but it was still strange. He wasn't acting love-struck like he had with Miyuki-san…he was just acting.

There was a short knock at the door, jolting Shizuka from her thoughts.

A man in a white lab coat stood at the room's entrance, looking professionally cheerful. He was Kawai Shizuka's new doctor, and after having him for the past several months the sickly girl was happy to find that he was a very talented and considerate man. The last doctor she had been assigned to was arrogant and careless with his patients, and thanks to his selfish choices, her former caretaker had been forced to find work at another hospital- but neither Shizuka nor her brother enjoyed thinking back on the incident.

"I hate to interrupt," the physician began, "but could I borrow Jonouchi-san for a moment?"

"Me?" Katsuya pointed at himself for reference.

"Yes. It won't take long so if you could just step into the hall with me…?"

Shizuka watched as her brother became tense, glancing at his girlfriend with worry. The fallow haired girl leaned closer and said something to him, although the younger girl couldn't make out what the words had been. When she had finished speaking, though, the blonde seemed much more at ease. With unnecessary carefulness, Katsuya slipped his arm from her shoulders.

"Well, the doc says it'll be quick, so I guess I'll be back soon" the high school boy said to the two girls, stepping towards the doorway. "Don't miss me too much"

And then they were alone. Kawai pretended to be observing her brother's figure through the window to the hallway, her eyes slowly drifting over to the person who appeared to be doing the same. Royal blue eyes blinked at her, the two of them staring at each other wordlessly before Shizuka decided to attempt a conversation.

"My brother didn't introduce us properly, did he?" the middle school student began. "I'm Katsuya's little sister, Kawai Shizuka. Nice to meet you!"

The high school girl lowered her head politely. "I'm Kidono Akina…it's nice to meet you too"

They reached silence too quickly, and Shizuka smiled in an attempt to keep the atmosphere from getting uncomfortable. Yet again, the patient couldn't help but find the situation odd. There was something strange about how distant this girl was. There was something strange about how distant she was from her brother, and he from her. There was a wall between the two, and Shizuka didn't want to believe that this was what couples were like.

It was rude of her to be thinking these things, and even ruder to say what she was about to, but the sickly girl couldn't find the strength to fight it. Swallowing her manners, Shizuka framed Kidono Akina in her blurry vision.

"You're not _really_ my brother's girlfriend, are you?"

A little bit of dismay might have appeared on the other girl's face. After looking away for a moment, Akina made her first significant shift in expression by forcing on a smile. "W…why would you think that?" she wondered, feigning innocence.

"Because you don't act the way a couple should" the pink haired girl explained. "…Or at least not the way I think they would"

Kidono sucked in a breath of air, lips pursing. Her brow furrowed and her fingers curled slightly, unintentionally giving signs of being genuinely upset. "It's true" she admitted, sounding crisp- cold, even. "We aren't dating"

It wasn't very nice of her, but Shizuka felt relieved. "But why lie about it?"

"Jonouchi-kun hadn't meant to" Akina was quick to insist. "He was planning on introducing me as a normal classmate, but then the nurse…" she let out a breathy sigh and bowed. "We lied to her so that she would let me visit. I'm sorry"

It started out as a quirk of the lips. Shizuka felt a giggle rise from her throat and placed a hand over her grinning mouth to try and conceal her humor. It was no good- minutes after having the situation explained to her, Jonouchi's little sister was laughing openly. Kidono stared at the mirthful girl blankly, choosing to hold off on a reaction until she knew the cause of the pinkette's outburst. Pressing a hand to her stomach to try and each the muscle pains, Kawai managed to get her laughter to fade.

"I can't believe there was such a silly mix-up" the younger girl said with lingering amusement. "Normally, this sort of thing only happens in books and television, doesn't it?"

Kidono's body seemed to unwind as Shizuka spoke, calm at last. "That's true…it was something silly. But thank you for being so understanding- I was expecting you to be angrier about being tricked"

The pinkette giggled again, pushing herself up so that her back rested against the pillows. "Oh, no! I'm happy to be visited, even if the manner of visit is like this…" Shizuka blinked a few times, thinking of something. "Come to think of it, why did you come to visit, Kidono-san?"

Akina couldn't help but tilt her head. "'Why'…?"

"At first I thought my brother brought you to introduce me to his girlfriend," she offered. "That isn't the case, though, so I was just wondering what the reason was- oh!" Kawai put a hand to her mouth, suddenly fretful. "But I don't mean to say you're unwelcome! I love meeting Katsuya's friends!"

"Ah…" the fallow haired girl let her eyes stray downwards. "Um…well…we aren't friends…" her gaze drifted long the hospital's bed sheets, not quite reaching the patient she was trying to look at. "Um- please don't let it worry you, but Jonouchi-kun happened hurt his leg a short while ago. It's not serious, but he can't put a lot of weight on it yet. He wanted to come and see you no matter what, though, and didn't want his friends to worry, so…I'm just here to help…"

"How did he hurt himself?" the little sister wanted to know. It was a mandatory question.

Akina swallowed hard, her eyes darting back to the floor. She didn't have an answer, but if left unknown, this girl would surly become concerned. "I think he…fell down some stairs" she lied. If every student who had ever gotten in a fight used this excuse, then surly she could use it as well.

Shizuka's expression was hard to decipher, her eye flittering for a moment before a half-smile appeared on her face. "That sounds like him" she sighed, giving her head a small wag. "Even though I tell him to take care of himself, he's always like that"

It wasn't that she believed her. In fact, the class representative of 2-B was positive that Shizuka Kawai did not believe her in the slightest, but the girl accepted her answer with the reluctance of someone who knew her big brother was only trying to keep her from worrying about him- even if the effort was unwanted.

The pink haired girl looked back to Akina, curious again. "…Can I ask you another question, Kidono-san?"

"Eh? I don't mind…"

"Could it be that…" Shizuka leaned forward, saying her next words in a hushed voice. "You're interested in my brother?"

Blue eyes widened, a ghost of a blush spreading across the short haired girl's cheeks. "I'm not…interested in dating anyone…" she managed a sideways glance. "What makes you think so?"

"You're not his girlfriend, you're not his friend," the younger began, "and yet you're helping him like this. I can't imagine another reason"

"Well, that's…I'm the class representative, so…!"

The door clicked open. Akina sucked up the rest of her words in a sharp breath of air, a silent gasp at the blonde boy who had suddenly reappeared. "Welcome back!" Shizuka piped, preventing Jonouchi from noticing. The girl gave her pink head a curious tilt. "What did you talk about?"

Katsuya shrugged. "The doc filled me in on what I missed since the last visit. What about you two? Have a fun chat?"

"Mhm!" Shizuka nodded happily. "Kidono-san was just saying what she liked about you!" she chirped.

"Oh, yeah?" the high school boy put an arm around his fallow haired classmate, grinning a silly grin. "Like what?"

"You're asking?" Akina was blushing furiously, trying to pass her embarrassment off as anger. "Don't joke arou-"

Ah. Jonouchi-kun still doesn't know I told her the truth, the blue eyed girl realized mid-sentence.

But why was Shizuka acting like she had been fooled? Looking to her junior for an answer, the high school girl was dismayed to find Jonouchi's sister staring at her with a hint of expectance. In some playful way, Kidono suspected that she was being punished for lying after all.

_Could it be that…you're interested in my brother?_

Or maybe not. As she recalled the younger's girl's question, Akina couldn't help but recall the answer that was given. She had said she wasn't interested in dating, since that was mostly the truth. What she hadn't said was that she wasn't interested in her brother, since she wasn't so comfortable with lying.

"What?" Jonouchi asked her silence. "I'm not allowed ask?"

"…I never said you couldn't ask" Akina constructed her reply smoothly. "I just assumed you already knew why I liked you. It's because you're a good person…" she smiled at him coyly. "…And more importantly, you look cool in blue"

For a long minute, all Katsuya did was stare at her. Then he swallowed something, his mouth twisting in an unidentifiable fashion as red burned across his face.

"Ahaha!" the cheerful bubble of laughter made the pair of high school students look away from each other and towards the giggling Shizuka. "If you two had acted like this from the start, I would have been completely fooled!" the bedridden girl proclaimed humorously. "Maybe next time you won't have to pretend?"

Had the hospital been unhygienic enough to allow crickets into the building, they would have been chirping.

"What?" Jonouchi looked at his little sister, and then his class representative. "_What?_"

"I already know it was misunderstanding" Shizuka admitted with a smile. "Don't worry, there wasn't any harm done"

"Wha…!" he tried to say for the third time, looking back to Akina with a baffled expression. "Then why'd you say that!"

"I just wanted to try fooling you for a little bit" the short haired girl told him while removing his arm from her shoulder.

The boy stumbled forward after losing his support, his hands landing safely on the hospital bed. "Tricked by my little sister and the class rep…!" he groaned in disbelief.

Shizuka laughed again, with Akina sparing a brief chuckle as she moved to step away. "You two should have a bit of time to yourselves" she told them. "I'll just wait in the hall until you're ready to go, Jonouchi-kun"

"Alright" the blond sighed heavily.

"It was nice meeting you, Kidono-san" Shizuka said as the girl she spoke to hovered by the doorway. "I'd love it if you could visit again!"

With his head still hanging low, Jonouchi couldn't have seen it when his little sister winked.

* * *

"You're _evil_"

Jonouchi told Akina this as they exited the hospital together, the sky a darkening shade of blue. It was already late, but if he had the choice he would have liked to have stayed even longer. Shizuka started yawning near the end of his visit, though, so he had no choice but to leave. The doctor had tried to explain what had happened to her to cause such a sudden lapse in health, and Katsuya had tried to understand his explaination. Medical terms weren't exactly his forte, though, and in the end the boy had only come to learn that his sister had been in a dangerous spot, and thanks quick responses from the staff she was likely going to make a full recovery. Either way, she still needed plenty of rest.

"And after all the trouble I went through for you today, this is the thanks I get?" the schoolgirl huffed.

"You tricked me!"

"So did your sister" she defended.

Katsuya began to roll his eyes at her, because the fact that his sister was an exception to these things was obvious. The dusky clouds floated through his line of sight as his eyes slid upwards and then to the side, distant buildings coming into view. Then at the very brink of his vision, Jonouchi saw something that made him freeze. It was a flash of gold or a flicker of red, darkness splashing over the colors in the same instance they had been spotted. The blur of blue leather he thought he saw was then the evening air, but even if it was just for a second, the boy was absolutely sure that a figure had been standing there- a figure he knew very well.

Nightly sounds filled the air to replace his silence. Noticing that he was no longer arguing, Akina gave him a stare. "…What's wrong?"

"…I thought I just saw…" as he scanned his brown eyes across the area once more, the blonde found no traces of the familiar shadow. The eerie feeling that a particular someone had been watching them exit the hospital would not leave, however. Laughing sparingly at his paranoia, Jonouchi managed to force it out of mind with a shake of his head.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it"

* * *

...Long time no see?

Before I could even notice, a year had passed without an update for this story. A year! Just what have I been doing in that time? I can't even remember! It may be pointless for me to say this, but I feel terrible for making everyone wait so long. I wouldn't be surprised if my readers have forgotten all about this story, and I would deserve no less.

_Confessions_ was originally going to be one whole chapter, but due to the extensive amount of content I had been planning to cover and the slow writing speed I've taken to in the recent months, I decided to split it into two parts (and yet this chapter is still nearly 6000 words...O.o). The good news is, around 1/3 of part II is already written! The bad news is…I'm not sure. Did anyone find this chapter to be kind of…not as good? I couldn't seem to feel the characters as well as I usually do, but that might just be nerves- I always get really nervous when I'm writing stories that are nearing their end. I don't know. It was actually super difficult for me to write Shizuka, because I'm not very familiar with her character. I've never properly watched the Yu-gi-oh arcs involving her, and in season zero she only appeared in one episode, so…well. Not like it's a good excuse. I really enjoyed writing the part where Akina was telling Jonouchi why she liked him, though.

Just to be clear, I'm not at all knowledgeable about illnesses and hospital business. I love watching House, but that's as far as my interaction with these things go. I've never even been inside a hospital other than when I was born. I did some research for you all and tried to piece together something that made sense, but I'm sure it's still riddled with inaccuracies. I hope you can all just ignore it and enjoy the plot developments.

If anyone can find it in their heart to forgive me for making them wait for so long, do feel free to leave a review (even if it is just to scold me).


	10. Confessions II

Chapter Ten  
—_Confessions II_—

The compartments were crowded compared to earlier that day. It was late now, nearly eleven, and so it didn't surprise him to see several students like themselves rushing to get home while the trains were still running.

Jonouchi allowed Akina to lead him through the swarm of people, feeling somewhat embarrassed when she grasped his hand and began to work her way towards a pair of empty seats. Despite the fact that many of the people she pushed aside were bigger than her, Kidono showed no hesitance or fear while moving them out of her way. Several passengers gave the girl irritated looks for her behavior. She may have been a bossy class representative, but Katsuya had to admit that she was usually polite overall.

If she didn't have him to worry about, would the girl still have been this aggressive?

Probably not.

With their seats on the train secured, the boy carefully settled himself down beside Akina. The pain in his calve was distant, but present none the less. Jonouchi leaned his head back after giving a weary sigh, preparing himself for a very quiet trip home.

On every rare occasion that he and Akina had commuted somewhere together, there had been next to no conversation. A wall seemed to slam down between them, and if Katsuya did happen to say something that caught her interest, the schoolgirl would never give more than a short murmur as a response. At times like these, he always got the senseless urge to say something stupid and piss her off. The blonde normally liked to avoid doing that, but after seconds of silence extended into minutes, Jonouchi found himself wanting to hear her voice- even if it was in the form of an angry yell.

It was just annoying when she was quiet. It made him feel like it wasn't the class rep sitting beside him. Instead it was some other girl, one he barely knew, but when he turned to talk to her he saw Akina and forgot what he was going to say.

It was really annoying.

"Jonouchi-kun"

At the sound of his name, the blonde whipped his head in the direction of the person addressing him. Kidono stared back at him for a moment, and then her eyes drifted downwards.

"I was…" the girl's voice was quiet, and Jonouchi found himself leaning towards her a little in order to hear her beneath the noise that filled the train. "I was thinking about…your problem. If you're being threatened by those sorts of people…wouldn't it be better if you called the police?"

"…I didn't say I was being threatened" Katsuya replied, unsure of how to handle this topic.

"They're the reason why you're hurt now"

It wasn't a question. There was no reason to ask that kind of question at this point. She didn't know the beginning or middle of his story, but she knew that it ended with her hands wrapping gauze around his bleeding calve. Jonouchi sighed, seeing no escape from talking with passengers crowded around them.

"I can't call the police" the boy finally admitted. "My old man is the one who borrowed money from them, and that money didn't go towards any legal expenses. He'd get arrested along with them. It would be like I threw him in jail myself, and I couldn't live with that…" he lifted a hand to his neck, rubbing over the back of it. "He's a lousy dad, but he's the only one I got, you know?"

Katsuya spared a brief chuckle from using his classmate's favorite fraise, glancing at the girl beside him to try and catch her reaction. Akina directed her eyes towards him, which seemed bluer than they should have been. The blonde felt his heart thump oddly as he waited for her expression to change.

"Not really" she finally said to him, her face blank.

For a moment, Jonouchi was shocked by the girl's display of apathy. The feeling soon faded, and in its place there was anger and disbelief. "That's cold" he warned. "Even for you"

Something about the tone of his voice or the hardness of his eyes must have startled the girl, because all of a sudden Akina had concern painted across her face. She lowered her head quickly so that her fallow hair obscured her eyes. "I'm sorry" Kidono murmured, sounding breathless. "I don't mean to sound cruel. It's just…" she folded and unfolded her hands, a rare sign of nervousness. "Please don't think strangely of me, but I…" the schoolgirl hesitated. "…Don't have any parents"

Jonouchi blinked, and then blinked again while trying to believe what he had just been told.

"My mother died in childbirth" the class representative explained. "My aunt took care of me at first, but when I was about nine I went to live with her brother. I've been passed around to quite a few family members since then and never really had time to grow attached to them. So…so when you say things like that, I don't know…I can't understand your feelings very well"

The blonde realized he was staring and moved to run a hand through his hair as he looked away. "That's…" he trailed off quickly, still thinking of a good response.

The confident and reliable class representative of 2-B, Kidono Akina. He would have never guessed she was an orphan. She always seemed so together, so in control, and yet her childhood had been like that all along. Katsuya raked his fingers over his scalp, trying to find something to say. Instead he found himself recalling the moment when they had been leaving her house together. The nameplate by the door had a name engraved on it that did not belong to Akina, and this had been strange. The out-of-place name was forgotten as they made their way down the sidewalk, but Jonouchi remembered it now and felt enlightened.

"That's why the nameplate at your house says Katsura instead of Kidono" he realized, looking at her for conformation. "Right?"

The girl nodded. "Katsura-san works most of the time and doesn't talk much, but… she's let me stay with her for over two years now. I'm happy that I've been able to remain in Domino so long"

Katsuya was staring at her again, with neither a frown nor a smile on his face. He had glanced upon the girl's face during class several times, and had often though of her as being stuck-up or prudent. Even the most diligent student let their attention wander now and again, but not Akina. Akina took school very seriously. She worked hard to get good grades, and was never, ever late. She always paid attention in class. Her pen was never restless. At the beginning of the year, it was Kidono who first raised her hand and offered to be representative for class 2-B. Being the class representative was a troublesome job, but he could tell she loved it, and now he knew why. She loved being a part of something that was familiar to her- to have a daily routine and be around the unchanging scenery.

I get it, Jonouchi thought with an inward chuckle. These simple things that most people consider boring…these are the things that make Akina happy.

"Sorry" he whispered to her, not sure of whether the girl could hear or not. "I'm always making fun…"

Akina didn't hear after all, because her next words had no relevance to his own. "Jonouchi-kun…since you won't call the police for help, could I help you instead?"

"…Huh?" despite the fact that she had been helping him since late last night, this offer still felt very unexpected. "Help…what? How?"

"I'll need to stop by my house before we go back to your apartment. Is that okay?" the way she disregarded his words made it apparent that Kidono had chosen to help him regardless of what he thought about it. Then again, it just wouldn't have been right if she wasn't pushy about it.

"Why…" Jonouchi blinked hard, trying to understand the girl's motives. "If you think being the class representative means you have to help-"

"I'm not helping you as the class representative"

"_Next stop, Domino station…Domino station…"_

The announcement flowed through the train abruptly, causing several passengers to stir. Things were noisy and people were rushing by, drowning out any further explanation that the fallow haired girl might have given him. The doors to their compartment opened, and people were quickly exiting while even more people rushed in to take their seats. Akina got to her feet as well, one hand latching onto the overhead bar to keep steady as she extended the other towards her classmate.

Katsuya stared at the girl's hand, unsure of what to do. If he accepted her help here, would that mean he would be dragging her down with him later? Once they returned to her fancy house with 'Katsura' etched into its nameplate, would he be able to walk back home on his own? Even if it wasn't the class representative who was offering, could he still refuse her?

"Hurry," Akina's voice told him, "or else the doors will close"

The doors were going to close.

He needed to hurry.

Thoughtlessly, Jonouchi grabbed Kidono's hand.

* * *

Lights were on when they arrived at her house. The glow emitting from the windows gave an orange sheen to the sleek black car parked in the driveway. Akina removed Jonouchi's arm from her shoulders, taking in a breath of air as the warmth died on her skin.

"What?" Katsuya voiced the confusion that was showing on his face.

"I won't take long," she told him," so wait here"

"Why do I have to wait?" he grumbled, leaning against the gateway to take the weight off his leg.

Akina pursed her lips, hands flexing gingerly at her sides. "I need to talk to Katsura-san" the girl answered, giving the houselights a sideways glance as she spoke. "This is the first time I've come home so late before, and…I'm not sure how she'll react, so…"

Kidono trailed off as the blonde began to laugh, shaking his head lightly. "Is that all?" he wondered, his tone a humorous one. "And here I thought you were worrying about something serious"

The girl's blue eyes widened at his nonchalance. "It- it _is_ serious! She might be really mad! She might-"

"She _might _be mad," Katsuya cut in, "or she might be worried, or she might not even care. No matter which it is, it isn't the end of the world. Relax a little"

"Even if you tell me that…" Akina forced a sigh, trying hard to get rid of the tension in her body.

"I'll wait, but if you take too long then I'm leaving without you!"

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Jonouchi told her this and then looked off in some distant direction. The fallow haired schoolgirl opened her mouth again, wanting to snap at him for making such a stupid joke. It _was_ a joke- there was no way he would just leave while she was away, was there? He could hardly walk on his own. It would be even stupider if he wasn't joking!

But as she watched the boy's shaggy blonde hair fall over his eyes, Kidono realized that she was the one who was standing there with her mouth open. She had told him to wait for her while she went inside, and yet her feet were in the same spot they had been three minutes ago. The girl should have noticed right away what Jonouchi meant. It didn't matter to him how long she took, because he had no choice but to wait for her return. It was for her sake that he was urging her to hurry, because the longer she took to confront it, the more painful the experience was likely to be. Katsuya knew this well.

_Just get it over with._

Obvious. It was such an obvious answer, and she was being stupid right now, but- but-

"_You can't leave without me, you know!_" Akina yelled out, stomping up the driveway with the hopes of seeming angry instead of scared.

Each step brought her closer to the Katsura household. It didn't take long for her footfalls to become less and less harsh, and with one final movement Kidono arrived quietly at the front door. She couldn't stop there, though. Reaching for the doorknob, Akina winced at the cool sensation of metal against her skin and turned the handle. The door opened with a click and a squeak, making the girl feel extremely timid as light spilled past the threshold. Things became blurry for a split second and suddenly she was inside, her hands on the wall as she tried to steady herself.

Tripped.

Frowning at her clumsy self, Kidono closed the door and bent down to remove her shoes. One foot slipped free and then the other, both settling on the carpet in front of her. From where she stood, the girl could see the stairs in front of her, the hallway which lead to the bathroom and laundry room, and the living room. She couldn't see the dining area, but she could see the light that flowed out across the carpet, and she could hear the faint clicking of a keyboard. Katsura-san must have decided to work with her laptop in the kitchen instead of using the desktop computer in the woman's bedroom.

Was she…waiting…for me…? Akina began walking, her thoughts moving in unison with her feet. Padding across the carpet, her footfalls were soundless, but the schoolgirl was certain that her guardian knew she was there, and so she approached the kitchen with dread. Laying her hands on the wall, Kidono leaned forward heavily and forced herself to peer around the corner.

Katsura Mihoshi was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in her reach and a variety of work-related papers laid out a safe distance from the warm beverage. She was typing away busily, her fingers hitting the keyboard in rapid-fire secession. Her eyes were trained on the computer screen, not a hint of weariness in them. It made sense, because the businesswoman was always working late as it was. Different types of work needed different surroundings, so it wasn't strange for her to be in the kitchen, either.

Just when it seemed like she hadn't noticed her after all, Mihoshi's eyes flicked towards the girl wavering at the kitchen entrance. Akina froze, and so did the woman's hands.

A millisecond later her typing resumed. "It's unusual for you to come home late" Katsura noted, not sounding particularly interested in what she herself was saying. "Did something happen?"

When she tried to answer, Kidono discovered that she wasn't breathing. Taking in a quiet breath of air, the girl tried again. "…N…not really. I was with a classmate. We were visiting someone"

"I see"

Silence accompanied the sound of keys being pressed. Soon enough, Akina was also listening to her heartbeat. It grew louder and louder, until she had to speak.

"I…!" the girl was without air again. "…I'm sorry, Katsura-san…"

Katsura's hands stopped what they were doing, this time shifting towards the warm mug nearby. "Hm?" the woman took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "What for?"

"Because I…I was late coming home…" Akina stared at her socked feet. "I didn't mean to be bothersome or…" unsure of how to explain, she let her voice fade away.

"_She _might_ be mad, or she might be worried, or she might not even care. No matter which it is, it isn't the end of the world. Relax a little"_

Jonouchi's words came to mind, making the girl feel embarrassed with herself. Maybe it was a little presumptuous of her to expect some sort of big reaction. The boy was right- it wasn't the end of the world after all. Thinking that, Kidono felt a little more relaxed.

"When I came back from the office and found that you weren't here, it was a little unusual..." the woman's fingertips picked up where they had left off on the keyboard. "I was a bit concerned, but not for the reasons you were thinking of. If it doesn't interfere with your school life then there's no problem with staying out late with friends. Good for you"

The girl lifted her head. "Good…?"

"Spending time with friends is good" her guardian clarified. "Studying is good too, but it's best to have fun while you have the time"

Akina didn't know how to respond. She had always told herself that spending time with others was a waste of time compared to studying. Knowledge stayed forever, while people were forced to part ways. Studying meant she was accomplishing things. It was fun. People were…

…Hard to understand…

"_He's a lousy dad, but he's the only one I got, you know?"_

Kidono's hand twitched as she swallowed a gasp. She had forgotten something.

Her recollection of the blonde's confusing sentiments brought back the rest of their conversation as well. Jonouchi-kun wouldn't call the police, but he needed help. What could she do to help? Out of everything that came to mind, the one with any possibility of working out was-

The girl's blue eyes fell on Katsura. The woman had stopped writing for the moment, looking over a paper she had picked up from the table instead. She wasn't angry. She wasn't upset at all, so maybe…maybe…

"…Katsura-san…" Akina grasped the front of her shirt, trying to ignore her light head and heavy stomach. "I actually…have something to ask…!"

"What is it?" the businesswoman wanted to know.

"I was wondering if…" her heart started pounding, making it hard to think. "I would be able to borrow some money…"

"How much do you want?" Katsura set her paper aside when asking this and looked back to her computer screen.

The girl inhaled, exhaled and inhaled again. "F…five…" her hands tightened on the white material of her shirt. "Hundred and fifty…thousand…"

Fine hundred and fifty thousand yen. Saying it aloud, it sounded ridiculous. How could she have ever considered it? Why would Katsura-san ever considerate?

"Ha…um…I- I know I've never asked for anything before," Akina tried, "and it seems like a lot- it _is_ a lot, and impossible, but I really…really _need it_, and…" vision blurring, the girl couldn't stop her words from turning into puffs of air. "_…Please…!_"

It was all she could do to bow and hide the tears clinging to her lashes. For a moment, there was only silence. Then a rustle of movement was heard, followed by the soft thud of something being set down. Behind the veil of her bangs, Kidono wondered what the sounds were connected to.

"That certainly is a large sum for an allowance" Katsura Mihoshi began, another undefined noise following her words. "Is this for some sort of school donation?"

"N…no…"

"Hoping to find a cheap car to buy?"

"No, I…" Akina's head remained low as she started to straighten herself. "I don't have my license yet…"

"Did you want to move out?"

The girl jerked her head up, staring wide-eyed at the woman as she clicked a pen in her hand, checkbook in the other. "Wh-what are you…?"

"It's not like I keep that much money in cash…" she put her pen to use almost carelessly, writing out a series of requested words and numbers. "So, I'll write you a check"

"Ah…but, I…" Akina felt helpless, watching the woman tear the decorative strip of paper free. "But…just like that?" her eyes became watery again, forcing her to look away. "We…we're practically strangers…!"

Only when her guardian sighed did Kidono look at her again, the girl's royal blue eyes lingering on the check that was being held in her direction before managing to meet Mihoshi's stare.

"You're not my daughter, Akina- I'm sure you've never thought of me as your mother, either. With that in mind, could I dote on you like a parent would? Even if I felt like it, it isn't something easy to do. If a person acts out without a valid reason, their much more likely to be hated rather than liked…" the woman smiled ever so faintly. "No one wants to be hated. That's why people often need excuses to show their true feelings. You're the same way, am I right?"

The class representative felt her face crumple. Instead of raising a hand to hide it, she only nodded.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand yen isn't love, but being rejected is still unpleasant" Mihoshi gave the check in her hand a wave. "Take it"

It only took five or six steps to close the distance between them, but even that small amount left Akina feeling exhausted. Just thinking of grasping the small piece of paper between her fingers seemed to take her strength away. Maybe it was because of how fast her heart had been beating moments ago, or because crying made her sleepy. Rather than those things, it was probably because she still wasn't sure if accepting the money was the right thing to do. She had asked for it, but even that might not have been the best choice.

With a trembling hand, the fallow haired girl reached forward and took the check.

After a moment the businesswoman spoke again, almost sounding relieved. "I won't ask what it's for, but I hope it helps"

Squeezing the paper lightly, Akina folded her hands at her knees and bowed once more, determined to show her sincerity. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll pay you back!"

"Finish school first" Katsura advised.

"Ah…I will…"

As Kidono's voice trailed off, the conversation came to a halt. Her guardian seemed to have said all she wanted to for the time being, and the girl couldn't think of what to do next. Silence filled the room, followed shortly by ticking. The miniscule noise caught her attention in the midst of speechlessness, making Kidono look towards the clock hanging nearby. It read twelve thirty-five, which made her think of the person who was waiting outside.

"I…" Akina shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she looked behind herself. "I have to go out again" she admitted. "But I'll be right back"

"Will you be alright out in the dark?" Mihoshi set her pen aside. "I could give you a ride"

"I just need to take my classmate home- they don't live far"

"I see. You can call if you change your mind, since I plan to be up for a while longer" the businesswoman said as she put her checkbook away.

"Alright…then…" the girl started to trickle back the way she had come. "I'll be back soon"

Nodding, Katsura reopened her laptop and watched as the screen lit up.

Drifting through the living room, Akina finally turned her attention away from the click-clack of the woman's keyboard and looked at the check in her hands. The exact amount she had requested was written out with crisp black ink, along with Katsura-san's signature. It had been dated properly as well, but the girl noticed that one portion of the check had been left blank. The woman hadn't specified whom the money was going to.

For whatever I need it for, Akina thought, folding the piece of paper carefully. After being halved in size it fit into her pants pocket easily enough, and her feet slid into her shoes much the same. Leaving ended up being a little bit harder. Heat bloomed behind her eyes and her vision blurred as she stumbled past the threshold, making Kidono wonder if she had tripped again. Only after she had closed the door did the girl realize it was because she was crying.

Akina did her best to blink away the tears as she walked down the driveway, but they returned quicker than her eyelids could push them away. In the end she couldn't compose herself completely. Jonouchi took notice of her welling eyes almost immediately, stepping away from the gate and walking up to meet her.

"Hey-" he grasped Kidono's shoulders, surprising her. "You alright?"

"Eh?" regardless of whether it was out of concern or a need of physical support, being grabbed by him made the girl waver. Blinking, she felt the wetness on her lashes and recalled her current appearance. "U-um," lifting a hand to her face, Akina tried to wipe away the remaining tears. "I'm fine…I…" Jonouchi's fingers slipped away as she stepped backwards. "Katsura-san wasn't mad. She was a little bit worried, but…" the schoolgirl dropped her hand and tried smiling. "…She was really nice about it"

As watery as Kidono's smile was, the blonde still gave her one in return. "See? I told you it would be fine"

"Yeah…" the girl gave a little laugh. "I should listen to you more often, huh?"

"That's right!" Jonouchi threw an arm around her shoulders and turned her towards the sidewalk. "For starters, sleeping in class is definitely recommended"

"I'd never fall asleep in class!" Akina gasped.

"No? What about eating lunch early?"

"Of course not" she refuted. "I can't write notes with chopsticks"

Katsuya shook her head at her sadly. "You won't know if you don't try"

"I have no reason to!"

They continued to pass words back and forth like this for some time, their feet moving along without notice. A corner was rounded, and after moving down the street three blocks or so, Jonouchi's apartment building was in sight. Engrossed in playful bickering, the two teenagers were well on their way to walking past it entirely.

"_Come on…_" Jonouchi Katsuya's taunting voice floated through the night air as they passed under a street light. "There's no way you've never thought of pulling the fire alarm"

Akina shook her head profusely. "I'm telling you, I haven't!"

"No even a little bit?" he pressed.

"Why would you even do something so juvenile?"

"Uh…" the blonde scratched his head thoughtfully. "For fun?"

She made a face at him. "_Really?_"

Jonouchi snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah! It's also a great way to get out of class"

The class representative's only response was to bury her face in an open palm. Katsuya couldn't help but laugh, because despite how she was acting, Akina looked really happy. He had just started to shake his head at her when his apartment building appeared in the corner of his vision, making him stop at last. Kidono paused when he did, pulling her hand away from her face to ask him why they weren't walking anymore. Once the girl noticed the building beside them, however, she realized the same thing he had.

"Oh, we're here" she voiced, moving back towards the apartment building.

Jonouchi slowly moved along with her, hampered by confusion. Hadn't they arrived a little bit too quickly? Walking to or from her house had origionally taken a lot longer than this, hadn't it? He was sure it did. Whenever he went anywhere with this girl, it always took a long time, because they never-

The blonde froze as realization hit him. He had walked with Kidono Akina from point A to point B, and for the first time ever, they talked the entire way. Even more than that, they had talked _effortlessly_.

"What's the matter?" Akina wondered, no doubt confused over why they had come to a stop halfway up the first flight of stairs. "Does your leg hurt?"

"Uh…huh?" he blinked at her quizzical expression. "What?"

The girl's confusion quickly turned to annoyance, no doubt thanks to the wide grin he suddenly couldn't hold back. "_Why_ are we stopping?" she demanded.

"Oh, sorry about that!" he laughed, putting himself into motion again. "I was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it"

The class representative of 2-B sighed heavily and worked her way up the stairs alongside him. They made it to the second floor quickly enough, and then the third after that. As the apartment door labeled 301 came into view, Jonouchi felt his grin start to slip.

"Well, here we are" he began, walking ahead of his classmate.

Reaching for the doorknob, the boy remembered he didn't have his keys, but gave the handle a twist anyways. He was strangely relieved to find that his old man had neglected to lock the door once again. "Thanks for coming this far with me," he said to the girl behind him as he pulled the door open, "and for everything"

The door opened with a creek, and Katsuya frowned a little upon spotting the scraggly figure lying dead asleep on the couch. He hurried past the threshold, eager to hide the pathetic lump of a human that was his father from his class representative's line of sight. Spinning back around, he was puzzled to find that she had grabbed ahold of the door, almost as though she was expecting him to close it on her. Her free hand was in her pants pocket, struggling to withdraw something.

What Kidono finally managed to pull out was a folded piece of paper, which she then held out to him. Her head was hanging, but not so low that he couldn't see the anxiety swelling in her blue eyes.

Jonouchi looked back and forth between the girl's worrisome expression and what she held in her hand, not seeing a connection between the two. "What's that?" he had to ask, for he had no idea.

"My help" Akina breathed. "Please accept it, Jonouchi-kun"

With a furrowed brow he took the piece of paper from her, still confused. Only when it was unfolded and really being looked at did Katsuya realize what he held in his hand. His brown eyes went wide with disbelief, and then shock. After a minute of speechlessness he was back to being confused, only this time it was accompanied by unease.

"I…" the boy tried to find something to say. "This is…!" he looked to Akina, chocking on her downcast expression. "I can't…accept this" Jonouchi forced out. "I'm really grateful- you've already helped me a lot, but… but this is too much…"

"No!" hearing his refusal was enough to make Kidono jerk her head up, looking fierce. "You have to take it! Otherwise, what are you going to do about those debt collectors?"

"That's none of your-" he hesitated. "It's not something you should worry about"

"I just want to help!" the girl insisted.

Her featured softened a little as she said this, and for a moment Jonouchi could feel his conviction wavering. "Like I keep saying, _why?_" he thrust the check at her. "I won't be able to pay you back, so _why?_ I don't get it!"

The blonde felt something brush against his hand and looked down to find Akina's fingers curling over his own. She leaned in close, pushed the check back towards him, and this time he didn't resist as the space between them disappeared. In that instant, it was as though he couldn't control anything about himself- not the racing of his heart, not his fingers as they squeezed the paper in between- not even the faint breath of air that escaped him as their lips parted.

Akina ducked away quickly, her hand slipping from his as she started to push the door shut. "I know it doesn't equal out," she confessed, peaking at him through the gap that was narrowing rapidly. "But I'm happy enough with that as payment"

The door closed without a sound, making it difficult to react to.

Realizing he had just gotten the door to his own apartment shut in his face, all Katsuya managed to do was slump against it. Sighing heavily, he mentally lamented on how his leg was throbbing again, and then lifted the crumpled check he had been left with to eye-level. The blond covered his mouth with a hand, trying hard to think about what to do, but as his fingers brushed over slightly wetted flesh all that really came to mind was the sensation of being kissed.

* * *

So I was watching one of the latest episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, in which there happened to be a joke about Joey's abusive dad. It made me smile, because not only was it humorously canon, it also reminded me of my story! In other news, Akina scored 13 out of 895 on the Yu-Gi-Oh Mary Sue Litmus test (the lower the better)! I think that's great. Not that I really take those tests to heart or anything, but their fun to do.

I guess I should remind everyone of the standard yen-to-dollars conversion rate. Five hundred and fifty thousand yen is somewhere around sixty five hundred dollars. It does seem like a lot of money to just give to someone, but under certain circumstances, it isn't too much to ask for. I don't know about most people, but my parents have lent me and my siblings that much and more. It's not a big deal, because they want to help where they can and they know we'll pay them back. 'I've always wanted to be kind to you, but I didn't know how without some sort of go-ahead'. That pretty much sums up Mihoshi's feelings towards Akina. Meanwhile, Akina was assuming that she was an unwanted guest in the Katsura household and kept her distance. They were in a stalemate of sorts. Even in this chapter, Akina only managed to approach her because she felt it was absolutely necessary. It's an awkward relationship, but maybe things will get better now that they've expressed themselves a little…?

Also, I'm not really sure how checks work in Japan…I tried looking it up and couldn't find anything informative, so for all I know the system could be completely different. But let's say it isn't! Haw haw haw.

Then there was some _ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT_. More on that next chapter.

I managed to update faster than last time, but not at all as fast as I would have liked. But hey! This chapter is close to 6000 words, and I like that. (But can you imagine how ridiculously long _Confessions_ would have been if I hadn't split it into two parts? XD)


	11. You Know

Chapter Eleven  
—_You Know_—

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! __**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE-**_

A sleep laden hand fell onto the clock's alarm switch, effectively silencing it. There was a rustle beneath the bed covers as a girl shifted beneath them tentatively before finally pushing them aside and sitting herself up. The headboard dug into her body as she leaned against it, but this didn't bother her. The soft thudding noise that sounded through the air when her head fell backwards also didn't bother her, nor was she bothered by the slight twinge she felt when it hit the wall.

Anything was fine as long as it helped her wake up.

This wasn't normal. Normally, the schoolgirl was able to sleep well, or at least good enough to be healthy and alert during school hours. She would shut her alarm clock off at seven o'clock every morning, get up, get ready and be out the door by seven-thirty. She'd arrive at school by eight, giving her a good half-hour before classes began. But this wasn't normal. It had taken her forever to fall asleep, and even then she was restless, waking up repeatedly throughout the night.

The reason for her condition was obvious enough. She had been very busy yesterday, helping her classmate around town until late at night. By the time the girl made it to bed the clock was showing single digits. Huddling beneath her blankets, she tried to keep still and waited for sleep to come despite knowing full well that it was the beat of her heart keeping it away.

Why would one's heart pound so restlessly inside of an exhausted body? The reason for this was…also obvious.

The girl's thoughts fled to her alarm clock evasively, her eyes following suit. Seven-ten. She should be getting dressed and making her lunch. There was still time. If she got up now, she could make it to school at the usual time without having to run. She'd put herself together while the food was cooking, although that risked burning something. Then she'd back her bag, double-check that she had money for the vending machine, and…

Akina fell sideways and buried her face in a mess of sheets.

* * *

It was eight-thirty in the morning, and the homeroom teacher of class 2-B was going through the attendance sheet per the usual routine, checking off the names of those who were present as he went down the list.

"Aisaka-san?" the middle aged man looked briefly towards the far left of the room, where the girl named Aisaka had her hand raised. "Arai-kun?"

"Here!" the boy called out.

"Jonouchi-kun?"

...

When answered with silence, the teacher was forced to look up from his attendance sheet to see that the desk belonging to Jonouchi Katsuya was empty. "Jonouchi-kun…? Has he not arrived yet?"

When the rest of the class gave a collective mumble to confirm this, the man at the front nodded and tentatively marked the missing student as late. Although he wasn't always on time, it was quite rare for this particular boy to skip class altogether. With this decided, the teacher continued on. "Ah, let me see…Katou-san?"

"Here!"

"Kidono-san?"

...Again, there was silence.

"Oh my…is the class representative missing too?" the teacher straightened his glasses at the sight of Akina's barren desk. "How unusual…"

Just as he was about to mark her as late, the door slid open to reveal the class representative herself, Kidono Akina. The schoolgirl was red-faced and breathing heavily, but with her teacher and fellow classmates staring at her expectantly, she managed to pass the threshold in a composed manner.

"I'm sorry for being late, sensei!" she apologized with a quick bow of her head.

"Well, as long as you're here now…" the teacher looked back at his attendance sheet. "The bell rang already, but I'm still in the middle of attendance, so I won't mark you late just this once…" he smiled a little before turning his words into a question. "You didn't happen to spot Jonouchi-kun on your way here, did you?"

The girl paused in walking to her seat. "…Jonouchi-kun?"

As her royal blue eyes drifted to where the boy would normally be at this hour, Kidono's expression changed to something soft and fretful. The man at the front looked at her again, curious as to what it meant. "He seems to be running late as well" he explained, although the absence of that striking blonde hair was clear enough already. "I do hope he comes along shortly"

"O-oh…" Akina's uncharacteristic stammer left her mouth just as she raised a hand to cover it. "I…Jonouchi-kun won't be coming in today, sensei…"

"Oh?" the teacher's surprise was clear. "Is he sick? I don't believe the office has been notified-"

"No, um…he isn't sick but…" the girl looked down as she thought about what to say. "I…I was having Jonouchi-kun help me after class on Saturday, and then…he tripped on the stairs and sprained his ankle badly. The doctor said that he should stay home for a few days while it healed, and since his father is away right now, Jonouchi-kun asked me to tell you…" Akina took a seat at her desk as she wrapped up her lie neatly.

"I see…" if the teacher recognized her deceit, he gave no sign of it. "Thank you for letting me know, Kidono-san. Absence due to injury, then…" he wrote an appropriate note while changing Jonouchi Katsuya's late status to an absence. "Well, it's a shame that he has to stay home, but I'm glad he isn't merely skipping for the fun of it. Midterms will be starting soon, after all. You will be third-year students next year- it's important that you get into the habit of studying sooner rather than later!"

Akina's mouth quirked upwards as several of her classmates let out groans of dread at the mention of upcoming exams. Had a certain blonde been present, he definitely would have been amongst them. But the moment this thought entered her mind, her smile faded, and Akina found herself turning to look at a boy who wasn't there.

_Exams, huh…_

_Compared to us, though…Jonouchi-kun has much more to worry about…_

* * *

After getting lost in her thoughts concerning Jonouchi Katsuya, Akina was surprised to find that the morning classes had come and gone without her managing to take a single note. As the lunchtime bell chimed through the air, the three girls that she normally sat with gathered around her desk for an hour of their usual gossip.

"Ki~do~no~" one of them called out in a sing-song manner. "I've got some gyoza with me today! Want to trade anything for it?"

"Ah!" the class representative jumped a little at hearing her name. "G-gyoza? Um, sure, let me see what I…have…"

As she began digging through her book bag in search of her bento box, the schoolgirl realized that she couldn't even remember what she had for lunch today, which was shortly followed by another revelation- one that was altogether more upsetting.

To her embarrassment, Akina had slept in that morning. After waking up a little after eight, she managed to throw herself together and pack her books before running out the door with little time to spare even then. There had been absolutely no time to prepare anything for lunch.

"…Um…" Kidono pulled her empty hand out from within the bag and looked up at the girl apologetically. "Sorry…I actually forgot to bring a lunch with me today…"

"_Eeeh!_" it was not just the one classmate who made this noise of surprise, but all three of them.

"That's not like you, Kidono-san!" one of them told her.

"That's right!" another insisted.

Akina felt an urge to tell them that they probably had no idea what was really 'like her' at all, but she fought it down while reminding herself that they weren't the ones at fault for that. Instead, she just smiled politely.

"I suppose I'll go buy something from the cafeteria…"

The other girls looked down at her solemnly upon hearing this, as though she had just admitted defeat to something. Ignoring their unnecessary looks of pity, the blue eyed girl reached into her bag once again with the intent of retrieving her wallet.

…Which was not there.

Careful to not let the panic she was feeling show on her face, Akina slid her other hand over to her skirt pocket and gave it a feel. Nestled inside of it were a number of coins which she would normally use to buy herself juice. Good- she had forgotten food and her wallet, but at least she had some amount of money.

"I'll be back soon" Kidono told her lunchtime group as she stood up to leave. "You three can start without me"

They seemed to be pleased with the go-ahead. Akina could hear their girlish chatter staring up before she had even made it out the door.

It wasn't very often that she visited the cafeteria. Although the schoolgirl had become more open to socializing with her classmates after entering high school, she still disliked dealing with the large crowds that gathered there every lunch hour. Even when she went to purchase her usual strawberry-kiwi drink, it was always from a vending machine stationed in the nearest hallway.

Now standing in a place she would rather avoid, Kidono Akina stared up at the menu board in dismay while numerous people bumped into her from all sides.

"After not coming here for so long, of course I'd forget the prices…" she gave the small amount of change in her hand a squeeze. "Never mind Katsudon or curry, I don't even have enough money for bread…!"

And the nearest convenience store was fifteen minutes away. She could run there, but even then, her only options would be chips or candy, and that hardly seemed worth the effort after her earlier workout.

Akina's stomach grumbled impatiently. She rubbed at her midsection as if to console it before deciding that the usual can of juice would have to do. Traveling back to towards her classroom, the girl stopped at one of the vending machines she frequented and bought a can of strawberry-kiwi punch as she did every other day. In an eager attempt to satisfy she broke open the seal and took a large gulp of the cool drink, only to start chocking immediately afterwards. The sweet liquid that was normally so pleasant to her taste buds now seemed almost painful as it clung stickily to the inner walls of her throat, bringing about a wave of violent coughs that wracked her body for several minutes.

When she finally stopped hacking, Kidono felt her stomach give an agonizing twist from within and grimaced at the sickly sweet substance she had just tried to ingest. The girl had never been so hungry when drinking it before, but it was clear to her now that it was not something to be had on an empty stomach.

She regarded the object in her hands with a sour look as her breathing evened out. "…Its no wonder he didn't want to drink this, back then…" and there was no way she could drink the rest now.

The class representative had already been feeling weary from a lack of sleep since earlier that day- now she had to put up with hunger pains, and a growing sense of nausea on top of that. She clearly wasn't in good form after failing to take any notes for her morning classes, and most of all, she was feeling very reluctant to rejoin the other girls empty-handed.

With all this in mind, Kidono Akina went to the nurse's office for the first time that year and laid herself down to rest on one of the beds. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought it might have been the one Jonouchi-kun had used a number of weeks back. The girl's eyes fell shut as she wondered about it, and was quickly taken by sleep.

* * *

When she reopened her eyes, the first thing Akina noticed was echoing sound of the evening bell. Classes were over, and many of the students had already gone home for the day.

Although she was still feeling groggy from sleeping for so long, the girl managed to force herself to sit up and push the covers of the bed aside. It wouldn't do any good to continue sleeping, she reasoned. I have to eat something. I need to take a shower, do my homework…

More than anything, though, she wanted to get home before it got too dark. It had been a long time since her frightening experience in the alleyway, but the memory of it was still fresh in her mind.

And with his limp, Jonouchi-kun wouldn't be able to save me if something happened now…not that I expected him to save me the first time, or that there would even be a first time, but…

The schoolgirl mulled over this as she made her way to the locker area, her mind still clouded with sleep and thoughts about the blonde boy who was currently at sitting at home, injured. Was he feeling any better? Would he be able to change the bandage by himself properly? Should she go check on him…?

But if she went to see him…

Akina slipped on her outdoor shoes with brightened cheeks. "The next time I see him…I wonder what he'll say to me…"

_"Like I keep saying, _why? _I won't be able to pay you back, so_ why? _I don't get it!"_

Royal blue eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment as his demand for an answer echoed in her head. If she didn't give him a proper reason for her meddling, Jonouchi-kun would probably come to hate her just like Katsura-san said. At the time, this was the only thing she could think of amidst her desire to help him, so she decided to be brave and express her feelings as clearly as she knew how…

…But looking back on it now, suddenly kissing him might have been a little-

Akina's musings came to an abrupt halt when a hand slammed down on the locker next to hers. The class representative froze, the painful events of so many weeks ago flashing through her head like a signal flare. Although her mind was racing, she managed to keep a calm exterior as she tilted her head to see who had invaded her personal space, and for what purpose.

Schoolbag in hand, the girl tightened her grip on the leathery handle as if it were a sword hilt.

Standing behind her was a boy with spiky red hair and a blonde fringe that darted over his face like lightning bolts. His person was adorned with blue leather and silvery belt buckles beneath the regular Domino high uniform, and a pyramid-shaped pendant hung around his neck on a thin cord. With such a remarkable appearance, it would be impossible for her to _not_ recognize him.

"Mu...Mutou…kun…isn't it…?" Akina asked with uncertainty, for she truly could not believe that this person was the same cheerful boy she saw laughing alongside Jonouchi-kun so often. And yet it had to be him, because there was no one else who matched that description so perfectly. "Did you…need something…?"

Yuugi Mutou was one of Jonouchi-kun's good friends, and had come to be somewhat infamous amongst the students of Domnino high since his enrollment a year prior. He was fairly short compared to the others in his grade, Akina included, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that he was looming over her- staring downwards with a pair of hard, cold eyes that shot into her body like crimson bullets.

The long silence between them was making her so very uncomfortable, but Kidono did not dare look away. "If…if there's nothing, then I-"

"I saw you yesterday, Kidono-san"

Mutou's voice came out sounding calm and tranquil, but his choice in words made it clear that there was nothing good beneath the surface.

"Y…Yesterday…" feeling both confused and disturbed by this strange ambush, Akina could do little more than shrink away. "What are you talking about...?"

The boy's presence seemed to grow more sinister with every passing second, and Kidono could now feel her legs starting to quiver as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yesterday, at the hospital. With Jonouchi-kun"

Shock spread across her face before she could stop it, and by then it was too late. Yuugi's mouth twisted into a small smile that made him look all the more intimidating. "Why is he absent today? I'm sure it has something to do with the limp he had. Tell me about that- how did he get hurt?" he took a moment to chuckle, although to her ears it sounded more like a growl. "_And don't say he fell down the stairs_"

"…I don't know" Akina said after a moment. It was the truth, really. "He just asked me to help, so I did"

"You didn't ask any questions?" with a tilt of his head, he added, "Jonouchi-kun didn't tell you anything at all while you were together?"

"That's right…!" this time, it was a lie.

The boy leaning over her seemed to be able to tell as much. "Please just answer me honestly, Kidono-san" he advised her in a husky tone. "It will be easier if you do"

Easier for him, or for her? The question made the girl feel even more uneasy. This wasn't good. It was bad. The person in front of her was…dangerous. He would definitely do something to her if she didn't say what he wanted to hear- that's what the fearful voice inside her head was screaming out.  
_  
"You've helped me this much, so you might as well know why I'm in trouble. Just don't tell Yuugi or my other friends, alright? I…don't want them to worry…"_

Wh…what should I do? Akina felt alarm take hold of her as she remembered the sad request Katsuya had whispered to her as she hugged him to her chest. I promised I wouldn't say anything, but I…I'm scared!

I'm really scared, Jonouchi-kun!

"I- I-" Akina stumbled back against the lockers when the strings of tension holding her there finally snapped. "I have to go!" the girl cried as she tried to run.

Mutou was quick to cut off her route of escape when his open palm collided with the lockers next to her face. The force he used was greater compared to when he had done the same thing minutes ago, and now she was trapped from all angles- the boy's arms caged her on either side, a wall of cold metal pressed against her back, and Yuugi's face was mere inches from her own.

"You know what Jonouchi-kun is hiding, don't you?" he glowered fiercely. "_Speak!_"

It came to her again- teeth sinking painfully into her flash, the sound of her underwear tearing, the taste of gritty fingers in her mouth-

"...He- he asked me not to tell you!" she heard herself whimper, as though someone else was talking. "He didn't w-want you to worry- I p-promised…!"

The class representative didn't notice that she was crying until the boy drew back slightly, and she had to blink her vision to clarity before finding that his expression had softened slightly. It made Akina relax, if only a little.

"That's very like him"

Mutou smiled again as he spoke, but this time it was warm and genuine. After a beat, Kidono managed to nod. Her throat had closed completely, and even if she could speak, she didn't know what to say now. To her great relief, the boy let his arms drop to his sides before taking a few steps back. Akina slumped against the lockers heavily in turn, for she could still feel the weight of his gaze pressing down on her.

"Shall we continue talking elsewhere, Kidono-san?" a dark shadow fell over Yuugi Mutou's face as the sun started to slip below the horizon. "I won't tell Jonouchi-kun about it if you don't"

* * *

Uwaaah…an update...!

This was really an Akina chapter, wasn't it? Jonouchi didn't get a single scene! But in exchange I gave Yuugi a bigger role- or should I say Yami Yuugi? That's right- he was the one Katsuya thought he saw watching them when they were leaving the hospital! It was only a matter of time before he found out! Are you all excited to see what he'll do next chapter? I am! I'm very excited, mostly because there are only a few more chapters left before this story is COMPLETE!

Haaa…well, that's everything that I wanted to say. Once again, I hope the readers have enjoyed this chapter, and see you next time!


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